A 49-year-old father from the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo district has been taken into custody for allegedly sexually molesting his three daughters, ages six to 14.
Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle from Lethem on Tuesday, the Ministry of Social Protection Public Relations Officer Jasmin Harris disclosed that the sisters along with their eight-year-old brother are now in the custody of the Childcare and Protection Agency (CCPA), and were expected to arrive in Georgetown on Tuesday.

The children, Harris confirmed, were rescued by CCPA officers on Monday from a home in Region Nine where they resided with their parents. The officers had acted on reports made by village leaders, including school teachers, who claimed that the children were being sexually abused by their father.

The children include three girls ages six, 12 and 14, and an eight-year-old boy.
Harris noted that after being rescued, the children were medically examined at a health institution to determine whether they were sexually molested. “Medical checks were done… and please note that these tests have established that all three young ladies were [sexually] abused,” Harris said.

She said while the test for their eight-year-old brother proved negative, he was reportedly physically abused. “The medical tests prove that he was not sexually abused, however, he indicated that he was physically abused,” Harris explained.
When the children were taken to the Lethem Police station on Monday to assist with the investigation, they told the police that they were being physically abused however, they did not testify to being sexually abused.

It was also alleged that the 43-year-old man may have sexually abused his older daughter, who is now 20-years-old and has relocated.
Meanwhile, the CCPA is urging citizens countrywide to report any suspected case of child abuse whether physical, emotional or sexual. All information, the agency says, will be treated with strict confidentiality.