Three years have passed since Barbadians were shaken by a most dastardly and callous act which claimed the lives of six young women. So horrendous was the act that it has been etched in the minds of not only the loved ones who are still grappling to come to terms with their loss, but also in the minds of Barbadians from all walks of life who viewed it as an act alien to the Barbadian way of life.

We must not let wanton acts of violence such as these destroy our families and tarnish the image of our country. We must always use the full weight of the law, therefore, to bring perpetrators to justice. By so doing, we will be sending, to all those who plot and wait silently for an opportunity to commit acts of violence, an unequivocal message that violence, in any of its forms, has no place in a caring society such as ours.

In spite of the magnitude of this tragedy, we must not let it overwhelm us but rather, we must, by our actions, seek to ensure that the six lives were not lost in vain. In this regard, we are committed to redoubling our efforts to eliminate, as much as is humanly possible, acts of violent crime from our land, and indeed to doing all that is in our power to reduce the incidence of violence, in any of its forms, in this society.

I unhesitatingly lend my voice and that of my Government to the call made by the September 3rd Foundation to mark the anniversary of the Campus Trendz tragedy by remembering the six victims, and those who have been afflicted by other acts of violence, at church services across the country on Sunday, September 1, 2013, and in the observance of one minute???s silence at noon on Tuesday, September 3.

I trust that all those who reside here will accompany us in this commemoration and in this tribute to the precious lives lost.

webbgis@barbados.gov.bb

Author: Prime Minister's Office

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