More girls guilty of wandering

WANDERING REMAINS the top crime committed by girls, followed by violence.Civil court magistrate, Barbara Cooke-Alleyne, said it was important to continue to speak to youth, as many of them were unaware wandering and gambling were even crimes.She was speaking to the media during a break in the annual National Task Force on Crime Prevention’s (NTFCP) primary school workshop on correct decision-making held yesterday at the Christ Church Parish Centre, Church Hill, Christ Church.“It is a crime peculiar to children and it carries consequences. The children can be charged and put on probation or placed in the Government Industrial School for up to five years,” she said.Cooke-Alleyne said wandering usually occurred when the child was either running away from someone in the household or running to someone.“This is especially true with girls who may be going to a man, but we have seen boys being lured away from home by men towards a particular lifestyle.“We want to let children know the risks behind wandering, such as sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy,” she said.This year’s workshop is called In The Winner’s Circle: Making The Right Choice and ends June 10. Consultant Modupe Sodeyi, acting senior programme officer at the NTFCP, said this was the fourth such programme and would focus on primary schools in St Michael and Christ Church. (CA)