ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Antigua’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne on Wednesday warned that youth violence is now an existential threat facing the Caribbean region after the body of a teenager found with stab wounds in a gutter last Friday had been identified as a young cricketer.
The authorities said that the body of Vonde Bowers was discovered in Grays Farm and that the fourth form student at Ottos Comprehensive School had returned to the island last week after representing the Antigua and Barbuda Under 19 cricket team on a tour of the United Kingdom.
Media reports quoting residents said Bowers was fatally stabbed during a violent altercation involving several young men in the Grays Farm area. His body was discovered with multiple stab wounds to the chest, head, and other areas.
Police have so far made no arrests.
“We are all saddened by the untimely passing of this talented young man, robbing our society of his contribution to nation-building. The issue of youth violence is now an existential threat facing the Caribbean region,” Browne said in a statement.
He said that this is a matter occupying the attention of his government, as it seeks to enhance “our anti-violence and conflict resolution initiatives”.
But Prime Minister Browne said that the government cannot do it alone and that “these interventions need to start within our homes, with better parenting, to create stronger and more wholesome families.
“An all-of-society approach is required to address this threat effectively. This is a crucial time in our development, in which the “village” must now take responsibility for raising each child.
“Our church leaders, teachers, community leaders, parents, all stakeholders are required to play their role in resolving this threat to our development and quality of life,” Prime Minister Browne said as he extended condolences to the family of the deceased.