A desperate cry for help
A viral video showing a man who was abducted by a group of men at a gas station and eventually killed is generating more remarks, criticisms, denials, and assertions. Given that we do not fully understand the background, this seems normal. However, what profoundly disturbed us was the desperate and hopeless appeal for help. Helpless because of the horrific events that led to his death, no one or any authority has stepped in to help. Anyone who is unable to access assistance may experience a situation as hopeless as this one.
Depending on where we are coming from, there are different perspectives on it. Some could argue that the individual committed crimes and that what happened to him was merely a quick method to make up for his transgressions. However, if we put ourselves in that man's or his family's position, we would see things entirely differently. His fate does not represent a means of repentance or a means of justice. Even if we say that such person is a criminal, he still has the right to be heard in a proper forum. He still has the right to start his life anew.
But the response of our police authorities is a glaringly absent component that requires consideration. We cannot resist hearing about crimes in some nations being solved within a day or a few hours because police officers acted. They possess the means, materials, and drive to solve crimes in such a brief amount of time without wasting a single life.
Studies have pointed out that poverty is correlated with kidnapping and there are multiple consequences of kidnapping, such as financial victimization, rape, and even the death of the victims. Some reports have also pointed out that relatives of the victims would just resort to ransom or paying a hefty amount of money to the perpetrators just for the release of their loved ones.
When these occasions happen, the victims with their families are left helpless. There is no encouraging history of the police rescuing kidnap victims in the past and present, therefore the citizens can only resort to self-help which is negotiating with the kidnappers and bandits for the purpose of releasing their loved ones. While this is a driver of kidnapping, is not one of the key drivers.
But those who carefully investigate the other side of the coin conclude that it is wrong and immoral for the government to disregard safeguarding the lives and property of all its constituents. Legislators should not be concerned with people trying to secure the freedom of their loved ones; instead, they should be concentrating on resolving the fundamental economic, political, and societal causes of the problem.
Investigating our role is important because we cannot always rely on the government, which can let us down. Our children are where it all begins since most of them learn about violence through the media --through the television or internet, for example. Through the magnifying force of this lens, images of shootings, domestic violence, gang conflict, kidnappings, and everything else that leads to violence in our society permeate their daily lives. Long before they have the chance to consent to such shaping or the capacity to effectively handle this knowledge, it molds their experiences.
For the victims, one thing is certain; if they were merely given the chance to live again or be saved, their lives would be completely different than they were before the kidnapping. The difference lies in the importance given to life and freedom. Then it becomes a plea for renewal.
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