STRANGERS to the parents of the one year old baby who was allegedly abused by her babysitter last evening again gathered in front of the Human Rights of Guyana Office where they held a vigil in solidarity with the defenseless baby.

Last evening, the Guyana Chronicle visited the vigil and observed that among those expressing frustration at the development were political and social activists, children, police officers, city constables and other concerned persons, including media workers.
Speaking on behalf of the persons who showed up last evening, Sarah (the only name given) who has been organising the vigils, told the Guyana Chronicle that the incident is one to be condemned by everyone and while persons are focusing on the sentencing of the baby-sitter, there is little thought for the abused baby.
Another woman told this publication that the incident moved her since she could not believe that someone would be so harsh and angry as to strike a child. The woman said that she is certain that there was no reason or no incident at the home of the parents of the babysitter that could cause her to want to ill-treat the couple’s baby.
There were approximately 50 persons who showed up at the vigil last night.
At present the babysitter is on court bail after she was sentenced to five years in prison by magistrate Sueann Lovell. She told the court that she hit the child after the she refused to put on her pampers and would not stop crying.
Following the decision by the magistrate, several groups who days before marched through the streets of Georgetown protesting violence against women and children and called for stiffer penalties for those found guilty of such acts, protested the jail sentence, saying it
should have been stiffer.

Today the vigil continues in front of the Guyana Human Rights Building on Hadfield Street.

(By Leroy Smith)