Children are innocent beings. They remind one of pure, sweet innocence,

and all that should have been innocent about the world in which we live. Look at a child in the eyes and one cannot help but be moved by the instant simplicity.
Listen to their little chuckles, laughter; watch them hop, run and jump. Even their cries sum up what their perceived world ought to be – one of happiness and free and unfettered joy, being loved and protected by those who are their parents or guardians.
But for millions of children around the world this is not the ideal, for their idyllic world has been shattered, made into a daily living hell and nightmare because of the cruel, exploitative and paedophilic adults that control their lives.
Child abusers of any hue and shade are very sick people. They are simply monsters in human form. They are inhuman, and they fall outside the pale of moral human decency. The disturbing reality is that most of the perpetrators are often close relatives, and persons who are mainly known to the victims. This is the contradiction that adds to the pain and agony of victims and their relatives.
Guyana has not been an exception to this sad and haunting experience, as exemplified by the numerous horrifying cases that have become public over the past 10 years. In fact, these instances, at seemingly epidemic levels, caused the current administration to launch the nation-wide ‘STAMP IT OUT’ consultation, under the aegis of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.
This, the most  comprehensive, and aggressive  process of discourse  on any social issue in Guyana, resulted in the monumental legislative Sexual Offences Act that covers almost every conceivable sexual offence, even  defining the meaning of rape.
But legislation in this instance, is about facilitating the prosecution of the offender, and if found guilty, the necessary penalty is applied.  Though the penalties under the Act are much more punitive, the indicted cases are not tried in a timely manner, despite the category now being more than one half of the jail delivery. But this is another discourse for another editorial.
A given that has been established is that the Act has not been a deterrent to the continuity of the offence of child sexual abuse, and it explains why the  subject ministry and its principal arm, the Child Protection Agency, has  continued to be proactive in its battle against this monstrous scourge, in  its numerous public awareness programmes.
The most recent initiative, the One-stop approach is another strategy designed for victims to relate their experiences only once to social workers and law-enforcement officers. This strategy of a single revelation   is said to reduce the agony of having to repeat the ordeal and eliminate the possibility of inconsistencies. Further, it is felt that it will also begin the process of early healing in the young victim.
The ministry must be commended for this particular intervention since its undoubted purpose is to close loopholes in the investigative phase, thereby making it very difficult for the fiends (or wicked persons) to escape justice. But there is a reality about sexual abuse, whether inflicted on children or adults, and the continued fight against its endemic presence.
Because of the pervasiveness of this offence in our society, moreover the fact that perpetrators have been known to cut across all social lines, the efforts to defend against this evil must not be confined  to the government and its executive arm, the ministry. This battle must be represented by every civic organisation, especially the religious organisations.
For since these institutions, irrespective of denominational brand, form the largest social catchment of persons at any time, their leaders are in a pivotal position to not only attack this vile act, but also caution those within the individual congregations, who may be committing such, or may be pre-disposed towards doing so.
Programmes highlighting this offence should also become a permanent fixture on their religious sermons.
It is very important that every means be used in our society, against this dark act.