The matter has gone too far for anyone to object

Mar 25, 2011 Features / Columnists, Stella Says

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Taxi driver, Rawle Hardy, was sentenced to fourteen days’ imprisonment for the unlawful assault of his fiancée over a text message; as reported by Stabroek News in a March 21 article entitled, “Two men get 14 days each for assaulting partners.”
The article also said, “After the sentence was handed down, the VC told the magistrate that she did not wish to proceed with the matter but Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry informed her that the matter had gone too far for her to object.”
The second of the “two men” mentioned in the article, Phillip Jones, was also ordered to spend 14 days in prison after the defendant “asked the Virtual Complainant (VC) to do him a favour but she refused.
The defendant then became annoyed and dealt the VC several slaps and cuffs.”
Likewise, in this case, “the VC attempted to inform the magistrate of her wish not to proceed with the matter, but it was too late.”
Although I am still frustrated over the number of women who choose to protect their abusers, I could not be more elated that these two were served justice before the victims could stop it. Bravo, Magistrate!
I have been watching Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry’s cases on domestic violence and I like what I see. She seems to be tough on abusers and shows no more mercy for them than they had for their victims.
This Magistrate puts the law before the social traditions that make allowances for domestic violence and she sends a strong statement to those who would strike, slap, push, chop and murder women they supposedly love.
Total elation was the feeling I had when I read this statement, “…but Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry informed her that the matter had gone too far for her to object.”
I wish every domestic violence case could be like this case. The struggle against the ongoing scourge of violence against women in Guyana suffers greatly when women refuse – for whatever reason – to ensure that justice is served against their aggressor or when they accept money in place of justice.
For example, on March 24, Kaieteur News published a report entitled, “Corentyne Pastor accused of raping underaged girl.” In this case, “A second form female of a Corentyne Secondary School was allegedly raped by her pastor, Lionel Seebarran.
According to reports, the pastor, who is in his mid-thirties, allegedly raped the girl in the vicinity of the University of Guyana Berbice Campus, while in his car.
According to sources, the girl attends the pastor’s church, was an avid churchgoer and would attend regular Bible meetings.”
In other words, this pastor knew this girl. She attended his church. She was under his pastoral care. And he is now accused of raping her.
The report continued, “Meanwhile, the family of the minor who was raped is reportedly in negotiations to settle the matter for $1M.
According to reports, it looks as if the matter would be settled amicably between the parties involved. However, welfare officials in Berbice are determined not to let the matter end like that. They are prepared to go right up to Minister Priya Manickchand, whom they will brief about the matter.”
If this girl’s family accepts money in place of justice, this offender will simply find another girl to rape. The violence will continue if he is not put behind bars.
Moreover, the leadership of this church should not be protecting this “minister.” To be a beacon of morality and integrity, the church should be the one to call for justice to be done.
The longer society allows abusers and rapists to escape justice, the longer these crimes will persist unabated and the longer women will suffer.
While in New York earlier this month, I heard a story from someone from the Queens Family Justice Center, in which an abuser called his victim several times from jail to tell her how much he loved her, and to give her heaps of promises that he would never hurt her again.
The result was that the victim testified on behalf of her abuser when the case went to trial.
However, the Queens District Attorney’s office used recordings of those conversations against him in the trial and the man was convicted. This is justice! This woman was protected from her abuser, even though she could not completely understand the danger of her situation.
As a society, we proactively protect drivers with speed limits and seat belts, we proactively protect consumers from unhealthy food and drugs, and we proactively protect our future by requiring the young to be educated.
There are so many ways we proactively protect citizens from harm, so why is it that women are not better protected against the torment of domestic violence and rape?
We all know the answer to that question. It is because during the thousands of years when men alone ran the world, they looked the other way while women were beaten, raped and murdered, so that such brutality and cruelty eventually became socially acceptable (even to the women who were the victims), which is why society should now take drastic proactive measures to correct this yet ongoing carnage.
Domestic violence, rape and other such crimes against women should be prosecuted even if the victim does not want to proceed with the case, or if there has been a financial settlement between the offender and the victim.
Even if the woman testifies for the offender, like the one in Queens, the state should still proceed with the case and ensure justice for the sake of the community at large.
Like Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry, I emphatically insist that this matter has gone too far for anyone to object.
Cases of domestic violence and rape should be prosecuted with or without the cooperation of the victim. It is the only way we can finally bring an end to the injustice of this situation.

Email: StellaSays@gmail.com

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