‘What Could a 14-Year-Old Have Done?’ Child Advocates Question Viral Video

A viral video showing a confrontation between Brian Swazo, a sports council caretaker, and a teenage basketball player at the Russell Garcia Auditorium in Dangriga has led to widespread outrage online.

The Child Advisory Body (CAB) has condemned the incident and issued a public statement calling on authorities not to treat it as just “another news story”.

After a report was made against him, Swazo was taken into police custody. Meanwhile, the National Sports Council is facing increasing pressure as it investigates whether the incident violated its non-confrontation policy governing sporting events.

Richard Martinez, president of the CAB’s Dangriga branch, told News 5 what troubled him most was not only the video itself but also the public’s reaction to it, with many people rushing to justify the violence against the 14-year-old without ever hearing the teenager’s side of the story.

“My initial reaction and what I immediately had to ask myself: what could a fourteen-year-old could have possibly done to the point that would warrant this extent of violence?” Martinez said. “The fact that people immediately jump to conclusions, saying that that extent of violence was warranted or it’s okay, I was very appalled, to say the least.”

CAB is calling on organisations including UNICEF, the National Committee for Families and Children (NCFC), and the National Commission for Families and Children to publicly address the confrontation.