Cases of incest suggest…
THE ALARMING frequency with which cases of incest and other forms of child molestation are being brought before the courts signals that all is not well, and that the family structure with its attendant values could be under threat locally. Moreover, it signals that this development could translate into fuelling the spread of HIV at a time when there are reports of the stabilizing of the epidemic.  This is ostensibly so since, within the bigger picture, there appears to be a burgeoning emergence of what could well be referred to as ‘Father-to-Child Transmission (FTCT)’ of HIV.  This is among the issues requiring urgent intervention.

Most of us know of ‘Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT)’ of HIV, in which the HIV-infected mother passes the virus on to her unborn child. This is, however, not classified as ‘criminal’, but internationally, sexual abuse or violation of a child by a parent or other adult is certainly a criminal act and is to be vehemently condemned.

Whereas pregnant mothers are enthusiastically embracing the Prevention of Mother to Child (PMTCT) intervention in the interest of safeguarding the health of their unborn child, at the other end of the spectrum, the abuse of a child by a father can only be seen as ruthlessly defiant, selfish and destructive and should be dealt with by the full arm of the law.

Eminently concerned about this development, the local helpline, Help and Shelter has observed that while there is no collected data to tell how many children have survived abuse, agrees that the cases coming to light by way of the media are publicity, are indeed worrying.

They contend that  even as more cases are being exposed, there are still too many being ‘hushed’ in homes.

ASSENT OF SEXUAL OFFENCES BILL      
To this end, the news that the Sexual Offences Bill is to get public assent tomorrow  is a breath of fresh air.  It has come at a time when this practice has almost peaked and broken homes, tearful and agonizing mothers have just begun waging a call on the Legal System, Ministry of Health and the myriad HIV/AIDS NGOs, Women’s Advocacy Groups and Faith-Based Organisations and other civil society groups to map out strategies to quickly address  and crush the head of this potential monster.

It will be a watershed moment tomorrow, when President Bharrat Jagdeo publicly gives his much anticipated assent to the Sexual Offences Bill. The venue will be State House, Main Street.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon  noted that the act is a reflection of   the importance given by the administration, to the enactment of such Legislation.

Said he: “Cabinet’s overall intention in the context of the prevalent sexual offences, is to heighten society’s focus on prevention of such offences, penalizing the perpetrators and providing therapy to both the victims and the predators.” 

The Bill, which was tabled by Minister of Human Services, Attorney at Law, Priya Minickchand, was unanimously passed in the House in 2009.

UNICEF Guyana is reported as saying it will throw its weight behind the new Bill.

As Country Director, Dr. Suleiman Braimoh observed: “In a society, when you find sexual offences, the Legislation is sometimes narrow, and people do not take into consideration the wider ramifications of the things that could constitute them. The Guyana Bill has done a good job.”

Of the  need for the assenting to the Sexual Offences Bill, Ms. Karen De Souza of Red Thread Women’s Organization, noted:  “The law, as it stands, allows a lot of abusers to get away with that abuse, so it is  imperative that we have the [new] law, and that all the work that will be needed to implement that law, gets going.”

And, commenting on the way forward, she said:  “I think we all have to be a lot more vigilant and a lot more active in the protection of children.  People need to be much more vigilant, much more informed in relation to recognizing when something is going wrong with a child – in the communities, in the schools – wherever we encounter children.”

She said children should be able to talk with parents, regardless of the threats.  “We need to be much more responsible and much more responsive to the dangers that children are encountering,” De Souza said.

BREAKING THE SILENCE
Many such cases of incest go on for years before coming to light.  However, one of the disadvantages of  failing to disclose the molestation  is that, where mothers do not know it, until it is perhaps very late, the child remains goes without being tested for HIV.  As a result, if  he/she becomes infected, it is undetected until the child becomes sick and is in need of treatment for opportunistic infections.

But invariably, even if the male person molesting the child has reasonable suspicion that he/she is infected, it is likely that the child will be denied the right to counseling and testing, since , the abuser knows he is doing something wrong, and will not encourage the child to seek medical help, for fear that the doctor will begin asking questions.

WHY CASES ARE NOT REPORTED
It  has been noted that, while more cases of incest and other forms of child molestation are being reported of late, still too many are being ‘hushed’ by the families concerned. Some of the reasons given by social workers are:

1.   The offender is a ‘high profile’ person  or celebrity, and the wife is  afraid that   the family name will fall into disrepute;

2    The mother of the household is a victim of domestic violence and is afraid that if she  reports to the police, she will be further battered or even killed by the predator.

3.    He is the sole bread winner in the home and has the kind of wife who will condone his behaviour for fear that he will abandon her and move on to another relationship

4.    The mother is in denial and, even though all the signs are before her, she refuses to believe that her husband will molest their child, and so threatens to ‘deal with’ him or her if they ever mentions it again

5.    Where the mother is not aware, very often, the predator does not threaten the child directly, but his/her parents, particularly if it’s a ‘single mother’. He threatens to kill the mother if the child discloses.  Because the child would not want her mother to be killed, so she says nothing about the sexual abuse, and continues to live with the fear and hurt.

SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY
Officials at Help and Shelter are urging that when parents find out that their children are sexually abused, they seek medical attention immediately. “Protection of molested children is very critical, and a lot of children do become affected with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections as a result of abuse,” said Vidya Kissoon, Information and Communications Technology Specialist.  He said that, hopefully, with the new Child Protection Act, the laws will allow for more investigation to determine  where the child would have gotten the infection. addressed.

Kissoon is of the view that incest/child molestation in Guyana is a very grave situation.  “I think there is a complex mix of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and there are children who do transactional sex – get involved in sex for money…” He said now that it is coming to light, it is hoped this will serve as a deterrent.

The Ministry of Human Services has a 24-hr hot line and Help and Shelter has offices in Georgetown.  Persons are urged to lodge their complaints there.  Kissoon says
that even though many parents do not want to have a court case or police matter, Hel[ and Shelter is encouraging them to seek counseling for their child/children since they could be damaged.