…after threats from alleged rapists

By Vanessa Braithwaite
A DISTRAUGHT mother and former resident of Murataro, an Amerindian community 25 miles up the Demerara River from Linden, is claiming that she is being threatened and tormented for having her daughter’s alleged rapist brought to justice.Opting to remain anonymous so as to reserve the identity of her three-year-old daughter, the hysterical mother related to the Guyana Chronicle in an exclusive interview that her decision to have a 17-year-old boy brought to justice for allegedly raping her daughter has resulted in her being threatened and tormented by residents of the little Amerindian village.

The incident which reportedly occurred on the June 26, 2015 resulted in the alleged rapist being charged and is currently before the court for allegedly performing the illegal sexual act on the three-year-old girl.

The incident was reported to the Mackenzie Police Station and the Child Protection Agency and a medical, along with a forensic interview was processed, which revealed that the child was indeed raped. The Director of Public Prosecutions recommended charges and the alleged rapist was brought before the High Court, after which the case was transferred to the Linden Magistrate’s Court.

After receiving justice, the mother revealed that residents of the village started threatening her, which resulted in her fleeing from the village.

“Persons were like if I don’t know to shut me mouth somebody gon out me light, why I don’t learn to keep these things quiet, these are community matters… I wasn’t supposed to say anything about it,” the mother related.
She said that other residents want to come forward and make reports of rape and molestation but are afraid to do so, especially after she has received threats.

Much to her surprise was the alleged response from the Toshao Laretta Fiedtkou, who she claims is a relative of the accused.

She said that upon the police’s arrival in the village to arrest the rapist, they were intercepted by the toshao who said that she should have been notified first of their visit.

She said that Amerindian rights dictate police involvement in issues occurring in the village and the toshao has the right to decide whether the police should enter the village or not. With this power, many cases of rape and molestation in the village are not being reported and the accused brought to justice.

HAS TO CHANGE
“If the toshao never give permission, nothing will be brought to justice,” she said.

The mother claims that she has been making reports for the past eight years and it was only after her daughter’s case that other alleged molesters were brought before the court.

She said that a recent effort of a liaison officer attached to the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs has caused her to lose hope in the system. She alleged that the liaison officer called the Mackenzie Police Station asking for the corporal dealing with her daughter’s case, and queried the reason the accused was incarcerated as he is underage.

The mother claimed that the call stemmed from the toshao reporting the matter to the Ministry, expressing her disapproval at the arresting and subsequent charging of the rapist.

“I was surprised when Corporal (name given) called me and asked me what happen with my toshao because somebody called from the Ministry asking why we lock up the boy and said that the toshao called them,” related the mother.

She also claims that the liaison officer accused her sister, who is also a police officer, of influencing the case, but this is untrue. “The fact that she is my sister and she is in that department, we had to keep each other at arm’s length; at a distance because we don’t want people to accuse her of being part of it. I was under the impression that these ministries were there to protect us, the victims, us the vulnerable ones, not defending the accused.”

She is of the opinion that the toshao is taking advantage of the Amerindian rights to cover up criminality in the village, which can be deemed irresponsible as several underage girls are being impregnated by relatives or other persons in the village.

“I am hurt because I wanted to disclose other information to them and because of their attitude towards this, I am afraid to do so. If they are there to protect the criminals, well fine,” she reasoned.

Her daughter, she said, is now traumatised and has to undergo counselling.
“I don’t know the next level to take for her to do her school work. She would dig the paper till it tear, stab it till in tear,” the mother said.

The distraught mother is hoping that the issue is brought to the attention of the relevant authorities so that systems will be put in place to remedy it earliest, not only in Murataro but other Amerindians villages countrywide.