–ages 8 – 13 most susceptible

By Rehana Ahamad

A TOTAL of 113 boys have been sexually assaulted for the period January 2020 to October 2020. This was reflected in statistics compiled and presented by the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA).

The figures indicate that boys between the ages of eight and 13 are most susceptible to sexual abuse, with 44 of them in that age group being made victims already for this year. This is against 68 recorded cases in the same category for all of 2019.

Teenagers account for the second highest number of young male victims, with 34 sexual molestation cases being recorded for 2020. This is compared to 61 victims recorded in the previous year. Some 29 boys, between the ages of four and seven, have also been sexually assaulted for 2020, as compared to 55 in 2019. For this year also, six boys below the age of three were sexually violated, in comparison to 10 recorded cases for all of 2019.

Meanwhile, girls continue to account for the majority of sexual abuse figures, with a total of 582 cases recorded for the period January 2020 to October 2020. The CPA reports show that most of Guyana’s abused girls are teenagers, with 321 cases recorded in that category. This troubled number is followed by 204 girls between the ages of eight and 13 being sexually abused.

Thirty-eight girls between the ages of four and seven have been similarly violated for the aforementioned 2020 period. Alarmingly, 19 of the recorded victims for this year were barely three years old and below. Even though the CPA statistics may reflect a 26.5 per cent decrease in the overall number of recorded child abuse cases, this is not necessarily an accurate reflection of what may be taking place throughout the country.
Director of the CPA, Ann Greene had explained that with schools being out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency has lost one of its most critical partners in the fight against child abuse. Teachers throughout the length and breadth of Guyana have been at the forefront of identifying and reporting cases of children being abused. However, the advent of COVID-19 has resulted in most schools being shut since March 2020.

Even though these closures serve as a defence mechanism against the deadly virus, it has confined many defenceless children to abusive home environments. The CPA Director noted that even though COVID-19 has put a damper on many of the agency’s programmes, Childcare officials have managed to become innovative and responsive to all reported cases of child abuse.

“As essential workers, we continued to provide services to children and families,” Greene said in her speech at a recent CPA staff conference.

She pointed out, too, that even amid the lockdown and curfews, CPA workers have responded to 859 hotline calls, while monitoring 220 children in the Foster Care Programme.

“…and we continued to keep the 150+ children in our care centres safe, and occupied,” Greene added. For the period January 2020 to October 2020, a total of 2761 child-abuse cases were recorded, compared to 3757 in 2019, and 4368 during the previous year. An analysis of the figures show that an average of seven children are being abused daily, with Region One leading the charts of an abuse rate of 17.8 per cent of every 1000 children, a figure which encapsulates all forms of abuse including sexual.

Greene said that the CPA’s work over the past year has benefited from critical support provided by many of CPA’s partners, including United Bridge Builders Incorporated, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as ChildLink Guyana.

Authorities are hoping that the establishment of the ‘914’ toll-free, 24-hour hotline would result in more persons reaching out to the CPA in cases of all forms of abuse, especially those involving children.