Deadly School Fire Casts Light on Sexual Exploitation in Guyana Mining Town

Poverty and childhood abuse remain entrenched even as Exxon-led oil discoveries transform the economy.

The charred remains of a girls dormitory where 20 children died in a fire. MAHDIA, Guyana—Years ago, education officials in this remote mining town installed metal bars on the windows of the high school’s dormitory partly to keep girls and boys from being preyed upon in a town known for parties, nightclubs and brothels frequented by local gold miners.