Lack of official response on Dow Village matter

THE EDITOR: The public would have read with horror of the repeated statutory rape of a nine-year-old girl at Dow Village, California. Further reports have revealed that this situation has been going on for several months. The public would have also noticed that no government department has made a statement on this matter. The question remains as to who is responsible for this major social problem. There are numerous government departments dealing with social issues.

Millions of dollars are being spent so that grave social problems such as the Dow Village girl can be identified early and the matter dealt with before it escalates into a human disaster. Most noticeable is that we have not heard from the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation in whose area the girl resides. The councillors of this Regional Corporation and all local government bodies are reminded that they have the moral responsibility for the general welfare of all the residents in their Corporation area.

In particular, the local government representative must take the responsibility for this matter. It is not sufficient for the Regional Corporation to simply state that they do not have the legal responsibility for social problems. They must identify these problems and if the Regional Corporation does not have the necessary resources to deal with the entire matter, then they must ensure that the relevant central government departments address the issue. Further, could I find out who is the local government representative for the Dow Village area and whether he had notice of this matter and what he intends to do to address this situation?

JEROME CHAITAN
Secretary — Communications and Public Relations
National Reliance for Reconstruction (NAR)