Vigilance is the virtue required

THOUGH it sometimes happens silently or goes unreported, the number of instances of rape reported so far this year is a cause for concern and points to the need for prompt and serious action in addressing these matters.
Not to be mistaken, every rape case is a cause for serious concern. Last week alone, this newspaper carried four reports on three separate incidents, two of which involved girls in their early teens.

The first involved a 15-year-old girl from an East Bank Demerara village who is now seven months pregnant and her mother has virtually given up pursuing the matter, complaining of a royal push-around by the authorities.
From reports, the act was allegedly committed by a close relative — an uncle — who has since fled to a hinterland village where he is said to be walking free.
Faced with shame and in a bid to avoid it, the family of the 15-year-old has decided to keep her way from the public; a decision one can only hope is not permanent and will end in due course.

Simply put, an unfortunate act, which was not in any way the fault of the victim, must not deny her an opportunity for education, self-empowerment and to genuinely turn around her life, in which she has many, many years ahead.
If this incident was bad, the other involving a younger teenage girl was worst.
Only a sick, grotesque and morally depraved animal of the lowest moral order would rape his own daughter, which according to reports, was allegedly committed to give the already pregnant girl ‘a free passage to give birth.’

The child at the time was in the care of her grandmother. And quite interestingly, the matter received serious attention only when the child’s mother, who resides overseas, travelled to Guyana to personally pursue the case against her husband.
The father who allegedly committed the act has since been processed through the court, but was released on $100,000 bail.
And then there was the brutal rape and attempted strangling of a 75-year-old Berbice pensioner by a man in his early 30s, who was a close friend of her son.

In all of these cases, a common trait stands out. The perpetrators are known to the victims, and in the cases of the teenage girls, the act was committed by a close family member, who was supposed to be their guardian or protector.
As grotesque as they are, these matters are lessons to be learnt, and underline the need for mothers or responsible guardians to always keep a close eye on their sons and daughters, close relatives or even neighbours growing up.
This is necessary, because excluding the three incidents mentioned, in the majority of cases, the act is not often committed by persons unknown to the victims, but by close relatives or friends whom the victims trust.

And the trauma and stigma sometimes never escape the psyche of the victims.
It happens because rape is never about love, but of use of violence in dominating and exercising power and control over someone.
Aside from the cases referenced in this editorial, there have been a number of others. In fact, the majority of the 78 sexual offences in the first quarter of this year pending trial before the High Court involve rape.

Sometime back, there was a campaign called the ‘Stamp It Out’ Campaign which garnered the views of the citizenry on domestic violence and other related matters and at one of the public meetings, a novel approach was proposed.
The residents had noted the casual approach by the police in handling these matters and called for the perpetrators of rape to be castrated.

But while the police are often criticised for not pursuing these matters with due attention, there have been instances where victims refuse to give evidence in court. Notwithstanding this, there is need for the pressure groups in society to be more strident and vocal, especially on the issue of rape, so that perpetrators do not slip through the cracks and are brought to justice.

 

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