SOME 2,238 reports of child abuse, among which 440 cases of sexual abuse were reported in the first half of 2016 to the Child Care Protection Agency (CPA).This is according to United Nations Children’s Fund (UICEF) Guyana, Suriname representative, Sylvie Fouet, who was at the time speaking at a training for police ranks on the Sexual Offences Act (2010) at the Police Force Training College, Eve Leary, Georgetown on Thursday.

She told the forum, attended by Social Protection Minister, Amna Ally, Research officer of the Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking in Persons, Oliver Profitt, Assistant Police Commissioner, Paul Williams, Director of Social Services Whentworth Tanner, senior police officers and participants, that there is need for greater protection of children from violence, abuse and exploitation.

Noting that in Guyana the rates of violence are beyond alarming, Fouet said a 2016 analysis of children and women indicate that there is need for enforcement of legislations since the lack thereof cast the police in an unfavourable position.
“You the Police Force are held accountable when handling cases of violence against children…. There is need for increased capacity and manpower within the Police Force, there is need to ensure that all reported cases are investigated and addressed in a timely manner with the least possible trauma to the victims,” she said.

Adding that there is a knowledge gap on the root causes of abuse of children and weak reporting mechanism, the UNICEF representative said the situational analysis has found that Guyana has no electronic or distinct centralised data systems for cases relating to children. The present system is decentralised and paper-based. She explained that case management can be strengthened to facilitate the flow of information and ensure the confidentiality of the information.

UNDERREPORTING
“Underreporting is also an issue and it is due to the gap of the protective systems… victims and witnesses may be afraid of being stigmatised, creating a double burden on them, afraid of suffering additional forms of violence, or not having the necessary support,” the UNICEF representative noted.

She said an assessment with the Ministry of Social Protection and UNICEF done in June 2014, highlighted the importance of rebuilding trust in law enforcement.
Further, children living in the hinterlands and coastal communities did not feel that police officers or their parents could protect them from violence and abuse.
Emphasising that there is need for the rebuilding of trust in law enforcement, she said police are always the first contact persons for victims and UNICEF is eager to continue its support in finalising the national plan of action on sexual offences and domestic violence.

According to Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, over the years Guyana has seen a significant rise in the number of reported cases of victims of sexual crimes.
Noting that this must be addressed with urgency, the minister said violence amongst all females transcends social, ethnic and religious boundaries.
“The costs faced by society as a result of domestic and sexual violence are enormous. Children are losing mothers and families are losing daughters to this heinous crime and let us not forget the negative economic impact on our nation’s resources,” Minister Ally said.

The minister said any form of violence results in a range of health problems and the consequences of both primary and secondary victims can be devastating.
“Children are significantly more at risk of health problems, poor school performance and behaviour disturbances. The Guyana Police Force is accountable to all persons who file complaints about domestic violence and sexual assault regardless of age, sex, race, religious background, employment status, perceived sexual orientation or disability,” Minister Ally said.

Assistant Police Commissioner, Paul Williams, said in 1993, under the women’s rights campaign, a draft Domestic Violence Bill came into existence and became law in 1996; In March 1999, the first batch of 23 participants at the Felix Training College underwent training in domestic violence training.

Williams said there has been continuous training over the years, and the Guyana Police Force has improved greatly in handling cases of domestic violence.