Students warned about predators

Sgt Roger Worrell said the end result is that these girls are now being murdered.

Worrell was addressing students of the Palo Seco Secondary School during a youth seminar hosted at the school’s compound.

The seminar was presented by members of the Hindu Youth Association and the school’s staff.

Topics discussed included physical and online safety, gang involvement and teenage pregnancy. Worrell, who has 25 years service, said many young women are becoming sexually active at a very early age and the relationships, many times, become abusive. This abuse, he said, leads to the their death. He urged the girls to speak up and tell a trusted adult if they are being harassed by a male at any time.

The senior police officer told the students that there are laws to protect them from sexual predators.

Worrell said that a person could be charged with sexual grooming if he texts or engages in telephone conversations with a sexual content with any minor.

He said criminals are now not only staying at one location, but are migrating to different areas.

“You are at risk no matter which part of the country you are in.” Health educator and registered nurse at the Family Planning Association, Anjanie Chotalal, informed students of the risks and dangers of teenage pregnancy.

“As a teenager your body is not ready to carry a baby,” Chotalal said.

“You could end up with serious complications all because your body is not prepared right now.” She urged students to practice abstinence.

“When you are sexually active you are also prone to sexually transmitted diseases,” she said.

The seminar also featured an interactive segment where the students were allowed to ask questions and act out different scenarios.