Guyana has been gripped by growing concern as a string of missing children and teenagers cases continues to rise, with all victims so far under the age of 18.
From early August to mid-September, police and social services have been forced to respond to an unsettling number of disappearances across multiple regions, exposing serious vulnerabilities in the nation’s child protection systems.
On August 4, two teenage girls — 13-year-old Aneeza Bangatt and 15-year-old Shavine Russell — vanished from Supply, East Bank Demerara.
Their disappearance marked the beginning of a troubling month. Just days later, on August 9, 12-year-old Vevini Fredericks was reported missing from Mainstay Lake, Essequibo, though she was later found alive and reunited with her family. While her case ended positively, others have not.
On August 13, chaos unfolded at the Unity Mahaica Children’s Home on the East Coast of Demerara when 21 girls escaped the facility. While many were quickly found, at least two — Amanda Tyson (15) and Shazela Khan (14) — remain unaccounted for. Their absence has left families and officials scrambling, and questions are being raised about the oversight and conditions at state-run child care facilities.
The most recent case came on September 12, when 11-year-old Preiti Mohamed disappeared after leaving a Child Care and Protection Agency office in Georgetown. Reports indicate she was picked up by an unidentified woman believed to be her mother and has not been seen since.
What unites these tragedies is the alarming fact that all of the missing are children and teenagers. The spate of cases has reignited debate about the safety of children in Guyana, the effectiveness of state protection systems, and the communication channels between families, authorities, and the media.
Civil society advocates argue that the increase in missing minors highlights deeper cracks in social support systems, ranging from domestic instability to weak monitoring of vulnerable children in state care.
Meanwhile, police continue to issue bulletins, urging the public to provide information that could lead to the safe recovery of these children.
