WE have on so many occasions in this page written about the scourge that is sexual violence in this society, because of it becoming a chronic social ill that continues to be pervasive and unchecked in its daily rampage.
This heinous act still targets adult women and for over the past decade, shifted its lecherous gaze and lascivious appetite, mercilessly and unconscionably, on young children, and even babies as young as one year old. These are mostly children who are often close family members of the male adults in whose care the former has been often entrusted, when the dastardly act is perpetrated. As an example, Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall, who has tried very many sexual offenders, reported rather very disturbing statistics during a training seminar for members of the Magistracy and Judiciary, last April.
Among the statistics she gave were those that pointed to some of the victim at the time of trial, with ages that ranged from three to 28; 10 of the victims were 10 years or younger at the time of the commission of the crime and the accused above 30 years.
Very disturbing indeed, for it underlines a definite trend of children being targeted by human predators old enough to be both their fathers and grandfathers. But if these acts are startling, then an examination of the number of sexual violence cases for trial, beginning at the January High Court Sessions, is as shocking as they are unbelievable.
Of a total of 209 listed cases, an astounding 114 are for persons charged for sexual violence, with most in the category of “Rape of a child under 16”. Of this high number are nine cases described under the category “Sexual activity with a child family member’’; a most common sexual felony that underlines a different kind of male in the family, which is rather shocking.
These are not comforting figures in any way for any society in which such a large collective of its males, given our population ratio, are accused of a crime that attracts the most vehement of public condemnation. It is about a male type that is either deliberate in personal conduct, reflecting a debauchery that in many ways reflects the “age of sin”, as the church would often pronounce, or a male who does not accept the fact that a female is to be respected, be protected and be made to feel appreciated, loved, safe and secure by, especially, their older male family members, rather than be made to feel scared and uncomfortable, with the expectation of being violated.
This has been the reality with many children, virtually babies, whose lives and trust continue to suffer cruel betrayal at the depraved hands of close family members. Four of those accused, whose victims were aged 1, 7, 8, and 10 years, attracted condign judicial decisions of 18 years, 30 years, and life, at court trials in the latter part of 2018. And these have been in addition to other exemplary punishments given to other similar accused earlier.
This signals a judiciary that has been specifically built and designed for such trials, which is well organised in its speedy trials, but more so efficient and deliberate in its judgements. Along with domestic violence, sexual violence presents the gravest challenge and threat to womanhood, not only in Guyana, but globally, for the beastly manner in which it is perpetrated on its now numerous victims. We stand to be corrected when we state that sexual violence is now acknowledged as part of domestic violence, since there is irrefutable evidence of the former being committed along with the well known attributes of the latter.
