Yetanya’s father revisits PAINFUL PAST
Dad wants tougher punishment for child killers
For the first time in three years, Lionel Francis took the bold step down his life’s most painful pathway as he recollected the murder of his daughter, Yetanya Francis.
Yetanya, a Kingston Technical High School student, left home in Arnett Gardens, St Andrew, to go to a nearby shop to purchase food on August 23, 2018. However, when she did not return home, a search was launched by residents of the community, which proved futile. The gruesome discovery of her nude, partly burnt body was found in a section of the community by residents about 11:30 a.m. the following day.
“It is always fresh in my thoughts, every time when I come into these settings, it kind of pulls me right back into it,” Francis told THE STAR .
Yetanya was one of the children remembered in the wreath-laying ceremony at the Secret Gardens hosted by the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) yesterday.
“It is something that, honestly, I know I can never get past, but as the days go by, you try to deal with it as best as you possible can. So many things go through my mind, and firstly, it is never going to be undone,” said the father as tears welled in his eyes.
Francis was chosen by the KSAMC to lay the wreath on behalf of more than 1,000 parents whose children’s names are engraved on the monument. The decision to lead on their behalf is one he called an honour, and stressed that he is proud to stand in solidarity with others to remember the nation’s slain children.
The father was a picture of pain and grief as he spoke of the prevalence of the nation’s children being robbed of a full life, whether by violence or other traumatic events.
“It’s like every day, or almost every day, you have the same thing, just senseless killing. It’s almost like the life of the previous ones [have] all go in vain. The cry for justice to come, is like it has fallen on deaf ears. People not doing whatever you think is necessary to have these things discontinued,” he bemoaned.
But in the midst of his sorrow, Francis was able to brave a broad grin as he reflected on his daughter’s aspirations. If she were alive, the 19-year-old would be in preparation to begin her studies in hospitality management or even a flight attendant, he shared.
Concerned about the rise in crime against children, Francis has called for stiffer penalties for child killers.
“The country should be able to pull the resources together, and the necessary stakeholders to implement a law or laws or policies to govern this deeper than it is being done right now. I don’t believe, for one, that enough is being done to ensure that things like these don’t recur, cause as you can see it’s like every week there is something about a child, whether a child is missing or a child is being murdered,” Francis said.
Also hurt by the increase in crimes against the nation’s children, Desmond McKenzie, minister of local government and community development, petitioned for the death penalty to be handed down to child killers.
“I am of the strong belief that violence against children should be treated as a severe act, and especially murder. I think the murdering of children should attract the death penalty, once you’re found guilty,” McKenzie said.
“I take no apology because we have seen too many brutal killings of young people, too many unfortunate deaths,” the lawmaker added.