Death of Adrianna Younge: Motion for “Adrianna Alert” disallowed as Govt already rolling out robust child protection measures

The 102nd sitting of the National Assembly saw Opposition Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira on Monday presenting a motion for a National Child Emergency Notification system, to be established in Guyana to ensure a rapid response is rolled out for missing children.

His motion came in the context of the death of 11-year-old Adrianna Younge, in tragic circumstances characterised by police inaction and national grief. As a matter of fact, Figueira proposed that the system be named ‘Adrianna Alert’ and be modeled after the ‘Amber Alert’ system already existing in the United States (US).
“Mr Speaker, such a system would also cultivate trust between the public and law enforcement, in an era where police reform is both necessary and increasingly demanded by our citizens. Fostering collaborative engagements through an ‘Adrianna Alert’ system would rebuild confidence and strengthen public safety partnerships.”
“We are of the firm view that parliament, this house, sir, should enact specific legislation authorisation of the creation and management of a system setting criteria for issuing alerts. Further, telecommunication providers must facilitate automatic mobile notifications, as well as integration with radio, television and social media platforms,” Figueira also said.
The Member of Parliament warned that protection of children must go beyond the traditional techniques used by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and noted the importance of more digital solutions being incorporated.
However, the MP’s motion was not accepted by Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir, who noted that the GPF has already updated its Standard Operating Procedures in response to the tragedy.
“The matter of the death of Adrianna Young, as the honourable member Figueira mentioned, touches all of us. But we still have to come to the crux of his motion, which calls on the Government to do certain things.”
According to Nadir, he made sure to read the updated Standard Operating Procedures that were released by the GPF on Saturday. And while he acknowledged that more can be done, Nadir also expressed confidence in the urgency with which the Government has handled the matter.
“Specifically with respect to the resolution of the honorable member Mr Figueira, the Government has acted and is acting. In this regard, it will be difficult for me to allow the motion to be discussed at this sitting,” Nadir said.
Robust measures
Meanwhile, Nadir’s decision to give Prime Minister (PM), (Ret’d) Brigadier Mark Phillip an opportunity to speak without confirming the status of Figueira’s motion, prompted the opposition to walk out of the house.
For his part, the PM also cited the updated Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) issued by the GPF, assuring that the Government is taking steps to boost its response to missing persons. The PM would go on to read out those SOPs during the sitting
In the updated SOPs, the police force said all missing person reports must be acted upon without delay and there will no longer be a mandatory 24-hour waiting period. It also provides for a ‘Red Alert’ system, which when triggered ensures a national response can be coordinated.
Additionally, the updated SOPs are aimed at ensuring smooth collaboration between the GPF, the Childcare Protection Agency (CPA), Immigration Services, public health institutions and shelters, in order to locate the missing child as soon as possible. Another feature of the updated SOP is that Divisional commanders are now mandated to provide daily updates on active investigations.
“These are all initiatives that are geared towards protecting our children. I take this opportunity to remind the house that our Government has been making policies and implementing programmes throughout the length and breadth of Guyana to safeguard our children,” Phillips added.
There has been widespread mistrust in the Force, especially the Region #3 Division, after the police failed to properly investigate the disappearance of the young girl. The discovery of her body sparked outrage with protest actions spreading from Region Three to other parts of the country, calling for justice.
Adrianna’s family have already expressed their distrust of the GPF and called for an independent investigation. Meanwhile, the Commander of Regional Division #3, Assistant Commissioner Khalid Mandall, has been sent on administrative leave to facilitate ongoing investigations into the young girl’s death, which is being led by the Force’s Major Crimes Unit.
The actions of several members of the regional police team that responded to the report of Adrianna’s disappearance are under question, with both President Ali and Vice President (VP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo demanding answers.
This was after the police reported initially that there was footage of the hotel, showing that the 11-year-old girl had entered a motorcar and leaving the hotel but her family was adamant that she never left since they reviewed footage from a neighbour’s security camera, which showed no signs of her leaving.
Hours after Adrianna’s body was discovered, the police admitted to releasing “inaccurate” information. In addition to the Commander being sent on admin leave, three police officers in the division are also currently under close arrest, and a number of other police ranks were also questioned.
The GPF said too that investigators have thus far contacted and questioned the proprietor of the Hotel and all employees, who were present there on the day of the incident. The owner and some staff were taken into custody.