The nation is again plunged into shock by the brutal slaying of a child.

We had hoped that eight-year-old Danielle Rowe, who was abducted from school last Thursday and her throat slashed, would have survived that horrific ordeal, but unfortunately she passed early yesterday morning.

This innocent child’s parents are now left to endure the awful pain and great sense of loss that come with the death of their offspring. It can’t be easy, but that, unfortunately, is one of life’s cruel realities for some people.

Parents losing children, and especially in the most gruesome circumstances, is not unique to Jamaica, for there are evil people in every country around the world who spare no thought in taking life, leaving families and communities torn and asking, after each vile act: Why?

There is never an acceptable answer, and the torment can last a lifetime. Nothing, we hold, can excuse the murder of anyone, moreso that of an innocent child.

We hope that the people who are guilty of this barbarity are caught, successfully prosecuted, and punished to the full extent of the law. Indeed, anyone who can so callously take the life of child should not be allowed to exist in the same space as law-abiding people.

Unfortunately, Jamaica has been down this road too many times before. We recall the similarly savage murder of nine-year-old Gabriel King in St James in January 2022; the abduction, rape and murder of six-year-old Shanika Anderson in downtown Kingston 18 years ago; the case of 14-year-old Yetanya Francis, who was raped, stabbed and burnt while on her way to buy a meal from a community shop in Arnett Gardens, St Andrew, in August 2018. We could go on and on.

These acts of violence are not normal, and what is most disturbing is that there are, in this society, people who remain silent in the face of these atrocities, but are extremely vocal on a range of other issues.

In May, as the nation observed Child Month, this newspaper reported that nine children had been killed across the island since the start of the year. That was more than half the number of children murdered here in 2022.

Our report also pointed out that a further 15 children — 12 boys and three girls — were left nursing gunshot wounds between January 1 and May 6 this year.

In the case of Danielle Rowe, the fact that she was abducted from school draws attention to the safety procedures in place at schools. We note that Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in condemning the child’s murder, said he has directed the education minister to have all schools review their safety and security policy to ensure students’ safety.

That is not an easy task, but it can be done, as such procedures are in place and are rigidly enforced at a number of private schools. It will, of course, come at a cost, but protecting the lives of our children far outweighs any costs associated with security.

But even as we move to keep our children safe, we cannot ignore the possibility that these brutish acts are a manifestation of the epidemic of violence that we have regrettably come to accept as normal.

That, we believe, is the overarching issue here, as there are still too many people who firmly believe that the only way to solve a dispute is to resort to violence, most times leading to the taking of life.

It will take a lot of effort to correct this problem, but we cannot afford to give up.

As we have argued before, one of the key elements to reinstating self-respect and value for human life is for communities to recognise and accept that they have a role to play in making this a more peaceful society. That requires a drive led by the Government, with the support of the Opposition, so-called civil society, the Church, and others to organise communities and build leadership in those communities.

That would be a good place to start.