Grief is gripping Guyana as two separate tragedies involving 15-year-old girls spark national outrage and renewed calls for urgent intervention.
The country has been rocked by two recent tragedies involving 15-year-old mothers, deepening concern over the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable teens. In one case, 15-year-old Aleena Preetam was found dead at her Good Hope, Essequibo home, leaving behind her one-month-old baby after relatives discovered her unresponsive in her bedroom; police have launched an investigation as the community mourns her sudden death.
In a separate incident, another teen mother from East Bank Berbice, identified as Tiana Chapman, is battling for her life after she was allegedly stabbed about 25 times by the father of her child and remains hospitalised in critical condition while the suspect remains on the run.
The back-to-back incidents have shocked communities and renewed public discussion about teenage vulnerability, domestic violence and the need for stronger protective interventions for young mothers in Guyana.
One child is dead under circumstances that remain unclear. Another is fighting for her life after being stabbed 25 times by the father of her child.
The Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), led by Simona Broomes, a known rights activist and former government minister in the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) administration, has condemned what it describes as systemic failure.
“The Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity is outraged and heartbroken by the horrific tragedies involving two 15-year-old girls in our nation.
One child is dead under circumstances that remain unclear. Another is fighting for her life after being stabbed 25 times by the father of her child. Let us be clear: these are not isolated incidents. These are symptoms of a system that is failing our children.”
The ALP says the alarming rate of teenage pregnancy and violence against minors demands structured and aggressive national intervention.
“Where are the preventative programs? Where is the sustained community education? Where is the protection framework for vulnerable girls? Where is the accountability?
A 15-year-old is a child. A child should be in school, protected, guided, and nurtured, not navigating pregnancy, domestic violence, and life-threatening abuse.”
Reaffirming its mission to fight for dignity, justice, and rights, the party is calling on the Ministry of Human Services and Social Protection, the Ministry of Education, law enforcement, and the Government to treat the issue as a national emergency.
“The ALP will not be silent while our children bleed, suffer, and die. Protecting women and girls is not optional. It is a moral and national responsibility.
Guyana cannot prosper while its daughters are unprotected.
We stand with the families. We demand accountability. And we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to building a country where every child is safe, valued, and given a real chance at life.”
As one family mourns and another waits anxiously by a hospital bedside, the country is left confronting a painful question: how many more children must suffer before protection becomes more than a promise?
