RELATIVES of Micah Williams, the founder and General-Secretary of the Guyana Natural Resources, Clerical and General Workers Union (GNRC&GWU) are calling on him to step down from all public posts since he has been charged for allegedly raping an eight-year-old child.

His relatives are contending that he should not hold any public office until the court rules on the matter, given the seriousness of the allegation.

In January, 2017, Williams, a Lindener, was charged and placed before the court after it was alleged that he had physically and sexually abused a child. A medical examination conducted at the time proved that the child had indeed been sexually molested.
However, when the matter was initially placed before the court, Williams’ identity was not revealed. The matter is ongoing.

On Wednesday, one of his close relatives told the Guyana Chronicle that she was taken aback when she saw a news article promoting Williams in his capacity as GNRC&GWU general-secretary.

“To be honest, what he did was despicable and it’s crazy to know that he is moving on so comfortably like nothing happened when he damaged the life of a child,” the relative said.
She added: “If you cannot be trusted with a child… how you can be trusted to represent the best interest of people… you don’t understand the concept of right from wrong, but you want to defend the rights of workers when you personally violated a little child.”

When contacted by the Guyana Chronicle, Williams reminded the reporter that the matter was before the court even as he maintained his innocence. “I am innocent,” the trade unionist repeatedly told this newspaper.

Though he was hesitant to speak on the matter, Williams argued that he should not be made to step down from any position based on an allegation, though acknowledging that it is a serious one.

“It is an allegation. I am not a convicted person. Why should I be punished? Why should I step down when the matter is before the court?” he questioned.
“Why should an accusation damage my life?” Maintaining his innocence, Williams said the court will make its decision based on the evidence provided.

With Region 10 (Upper Demerara/ Upper Berbice) rated as the region with the highest incidence of child abuse for 2017, Director of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) Ann Greene, told this publication that the government is already putting systems in place to address this development.

In 2017, Region 10 was rated as the region with the highest incidence of child abuse, with Linden recording the highest number of cases, neglect being the most prevalent, followed by sexual abuse. In 2017, the CCPA recorded a total of 4,179 cases of child abuse.
To correct the situation, the CCPA has intensified its work countrywide with emphasis on Linden, Region 10.