THE Sexual Offences Court in Guyana has been making significant headway in bringing perpetrators to justice; something that, in the past, took a very long time to transpire.
Since its inception in November 2017, the court has heard 44 cases, resulting in 31 convictions and 13 acquittals. Sentences for those convictions ranged from nine years to life.

Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, OR, CCH, provided the statistics recently. She said since the establishment of the specialised court, the judiciary has seen a “sea-change” in the management, adjudication and prosecution of sexual offence matters.

The first sexual offences court was launched in 2017 at the Supreme Court in Georgetown. In May of this year, a similar court was launched in the Berbice County and more recently, on September 16, 2019, another facility was established in the county of Essequibo.
According to Justice Cummings-Edwards, the court has brought with it a swifter system that helps both victims and defendants. “We are happy that because of the Sexual Offence Court, victims and defendants no longer have to wait to know their fate. Victims do not have to give their evidence twice since we have what is called paper committal in the magistrates’ court, a speedier system where the magistrate makes the committal on the bases of the statement,” the chancellor said.

She explained that the Sexual Offences Act passed in 2010 provides for a special court environment to try cases. The average duration of the trials stands at five days. “This reduces the time spent in court, the time for the processing and adjudication of a case involving sexual offences,” Justice Cummings-Edwards said. The offences for which trials were conducted include rape, rape of a child under 16, sexual activity with a child by a family member and carnal knowledge. The ages of the victims range from 3 to 77 years old.

According to the provisions under the Sexual Offences Act 2010, sexual assault is ranked as a severe offence which carries a penalty of imprisonment. Chapter 8:03 of the Sexual Offences Act specifically states that a person commits the offence of sexual assault if he/she touches another person (the complainant) in a sexual way; causes the complainant to touch him/her in a sexual way; causes the complainant to touch a third party in a sexual way; or otherwise indecently assaults the complainant within the meaning of any other law.
The specialised court has seen six judges presiding. These include Justice Simone Morris- Ramlall, Justice Jo Ann Barlow, Justice Priya Sewnarine- Beharry, Justice Brassington Reynolds, Justice Navindra Singh and Justice Gino Persaud. Justice Persaud will preside over the Essequibo October Assizes.

Earlier this year, it was reported by this newspaper that Guyana recorded, at March, 400 cases of sexual abuse against children in just three months, a figure which Resident UNICEF Representative, Sylvie Fouet, said was alarming.

The number of cases last year was over 1000. The UNICEF representative signalled the need for more to be done in order to address the scourge which has been plaguing society for years. She believes that building capacity will help Guyana to find solutions, which will result in the reduction of those numbers and even the prevention of such cases. As part of its contribution, UNICEF has assisted in the launching of several sexual offences courts locally.

The sexual offences courts follow the model guidelines to ensure that their operations are in line with the Sexual Offences Act and meet best practices. The work of the courts is complemented by the support services offered by the Ministry of Social Protection and other partners. This includes the one-stop centres or Child Advocacy Centres for the reporting of abuse.