Dear Editor,

Imagine for a moment you are either of the parties I will speak of, or both. You are a man in mid-60s, somewhat recovered from a stroke and more or less helpless and you have an old wife to take care of. Or, let’s imagine you are the mother of two baby girls (ages 3 &12) and you have a hardworking husband, who works at three jobs to make ends meet.
Now imagine there is a roguish, absolutely vulgar and disrespectful man in your village, who attacks your family on a daily basis, whether by pelting large stones at you and your home or by religiously jumping your fence and threatening to sexually abuse all the women in the house. Imagine having to keep all your doors closed and constantly be alert. What peace or freedom is there?

There is a man (name provided) who has almost 30 reports lodged against him at the Parika Police Station. He has molested and chased two families out of their homes and left a house that was built with so much sweat and tears deteriorated. No one is willing to come out and speak up and the only person who has innocently defended himself against this man’s attack was arrested and served time in jail.

It’s been over a year since my family has been under severe pressure from his attacks. Our three-year-old reacts to the least of noises by running, screaming in fear and hiding. Our 12-year-old hardly talks or focuses. It seems too much for her to take. My old parents can barely do for themselves and even sleeping is difficult knowing a man is dedicating a major part of his day to just come around their house and torment them.

No one else understands the effect his actions have on our lives.  And although no one else would speak up, my family and I are pleading with the Guyana Police Force to do something more about this situation. Will it take another broken home or injured people to help get this nuisance to society the care he needs? We have no disagreements or involvement with this individual, and we surely don’t deserve to be having sleepless nights and constant torment. Whether or not he feels he’s above the law and he can get away with his threatening actions, why should he not face the consequences?

Please, if there is anything the Guyana Police Force can do for us apart from the little they have done, we would be grateful.

To the wider public, perhaps your voices would make a greater difference than ours.  We desperately need a solution here; we need to sleep without fear and be able to leave our home freely too.

Sincerely,
Joyanne Ramnauth