Police Urge Removal of Video Showing Missing Girl After She Is Found

The Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago says the 13-year-old girl found after being missing for 26 days is now in its care and will receive psychosocial support. Her recovery has sparked controversy after a video identifying her was posted, with police warning it could cause further harm and saying children’s identities must be protected.

A 13-year-old girl missing for 25 days was found in a forested area last Friday and is now in the care of the Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, which says she will receive psychosocial support. Police have condemned a video shared online that identified her, warning it could cause stigma, trauma and further harm.

Police are investigating whether laws were broken after a video of a 13-year-old girl, found after 25 days missing, was published online showing her face and her with a 49-year-old man. The TTPS said sharing material that identifies a child in a police matter may be a criminal offence and urged the video be removed.

A 13-year-old girl found after 26 days missing with a 49-year-old man is now at the centre of a privacy and child-protection dispute, as a therapist warns that public exposure could further harm her. Police have urged people to protect her identity after rescue videos were shared online, while officials and advocates argue the case should focus on safeguarding the child.

A 13-year-old girl missing for 25 days was found by a search team, but a livestream showing her face and a team leader questioning her sparked widespread backlash and a TTPS call for the video’s removal. Her aunt said she learned of the rescue on social media, while police said the child is safe and the Special Victims Department is investigating.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar defended the Hunters’ Search and Rescue Team after it posted video of a missing 13-year-old found with a 49-year-old man, while urging the team to avoid future mistakes and calling for the child’s privacy to be protected. She also used the dispute to warn teenagers that if they act like adults, the law may treat them that way.

The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service is investigating the circulation of a video showing a missing minor after she was found with an adult, saying it may identify a child involved in a police investigation. TTPS says the child is safe and receiving support, and warns that sharing such material could be a criminal offence.

The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has asked that a viral video showing a missing 13-year-old girl with an adult be removed, saying it could identify the child and expose her to harm while police investigate. It warned that sharing such material may be a criminal offence and urged the public and platforms not to repost it.

A video posted by Hunters’ Search and Rescue Team leader Shamsudeen Ayube showing the recovery of a missing 13-year-old girl has drawn backlash from child advocates, who say it risks shaming and bullying a vulnerable minor. Ayube defended the post, but another HSRT group and the Humanitarian Foundation for Positive Social Change urged that children’s identities and images not be shared publicly.