Research shows rape took place

Jul 24, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
I am responding to Mr. Malcom Harripaul (Kaieteur News, June 13) who challenged me to do research on rape in Guyana as happened during the period of forced National Service in the 1970s and 1980s.
I spent almost two weeks in Guyana in July and researched this topic with people in the know of incidents of rape.
I also held discussions with police, UG and GTC students about rape in earlier visits to Guyana. I spoke with several doctors and individuals (judges, lawyers, police, former govt. employees, etc.) who confirmed the occurrence of large numbers of rape at National Service, at government work sites in Georgetown, at people’s homes during some violent robberies during the 1970s and 1980s, and in the hinterland among poor, helpless Amerindians.
I also heard complaints of sexual exploitations in recent years and they also need to be exposed.
But Harripaul asked me to focus on rape during the authoritarian period not during the now democratic era. Hence my focus on that period!
My recent conversation with the doctors, who performed abortion during that era, while not putting a number to the amount of rapes, revealed that I underestimated the number of rapes that actually took place. One doctor told me he did 12 to 15 abortions on some days of National Service victims during that period.
Contrary to what Harripaul would like us to believe and his defence of National Service and his new found party affiliates, rape was widespread. It is not political propaganda.
Mahadai Das confirmed that rape was a common occurrence at National Service. She was repeatedly raped. I was reliably informed that Ms. Luck was flown out of National Service after sexual abuse and airlifted to Canada. Ms. Hanoman was raped in her office and flown to Barbados (that was widely reported in the press).
Those who witnessed rape were told to mind their business, especially if they wanted their certificate of satisfactory completion of National Service so they can get their UG diplomas. The late Gora Singh related to me many incidences of rape.
Rape carries a heavy stigma. People don’t generally go to police or any authority to report rape. The victims often don’t even tell family members and when they do, the rapes are hushed up. Parents were/are ashamed of the stigmas.
They are concerned about “Ah wha guh happen to me Beti”. So names are not given. Doctors don’t want to release files and names of rape victims and the doctors themselves don’t want their names used in any writings.
The next time Malcolm is in G/Town, he should have a chat with the older docs about rape and abortions.
But Malcolm already knows the fact and just does not want to admit it because of his defense of his new comrades.
Malcolm says only a few women were raped in the armed services. So he has knowledge of rape. And even if it is just one rape, he should have reported it to his supervisors and actions taken.
Rape has no statute of limitation and America has laws to bring to justice, the rapists, even if the rape took place in Guyana.
So it is not too late for Malcolm to report his knowledge of rape to the authorities in Guyana and the US. In a retort, Nigel Rogers (Kaieteur News, Jun 13) kind of excuse rape in Guyana, arguing that rape is not the bailiwick of one ethnic group and defending the alleged Guyanese rapists by comparing allegations of rape with racist lynching in America. No! It is not the same. There was actual rape in Guyana and there was no lynching of anyone.
It is not too late to bring to justice, the rapists of different ethnic stripes, many of whom now settle in America. The victims, even in America, should file a complaint to bring them to book.
Vishnu Bisram

8 thoughts on “Research shows rape took place”

Chris_ric July 24, 2011 at 11:39 pm

Hahaha! You guys are little funny people who are jumping around screaming fire because you see your days of robbing this small country coming to an end.
Your bankrolls and source of income are quickly coming to an end. We could have allowed you to take more if you weren’t so greedy and wanted everything.

From day one you all jumped on the elephant (Guyana) and locked your greedy teeth into her flesh and kept sucking and sucking her blood. Now, this elephant is fighting back and one by one she’s scraping you off her back and you can’t stand it.

Bisram and his bogus researches… Everything rings hollow, ‘I held discussions with this and that’.

Joe Singh was in charge then. Has it entered Bisram’s lying head to interviewed him?

Now you rekniht, you come with your garbage about Dr. Sookraj being silenced.
By the way, that he is a ‘BERBICIAN’ how is that relevant to this discourse?

I guess it is no mistake that your name spells ‘thinker’ backwards seeing as you don’t really think at all.

Don’t bother to respond because I won’t waste anymore time with you. Saving it for the clever ones, if there be.
1. rekniht July 25, 2011 at 11:32 am
  
  …. ure so clever ,, that all else bsides u is “little funny people” ,, well let me do a “googli” on this mediocre ‘spin” that ure to labouring to eviscerate ,, if u know
  Dr. Sookraj was not ‘silenced’ as is my conviction ,, tell me who has been arrested ,, convited and has served time for murdering him ?????? the fact that he was from Berbice speaks to his demise ,, like teekah ,, tho ,, he deserve what he got ! the bank roll u talking abt ,, is 2 BILLION USD ,, which by todays inflation is worth some 10/15 billion USD ! think u could do some explaining to kids born in 1993 ,, what is there is GUYANA to show for it ,, many of whom is now in the labour market ,, and is paying taxes plus vat ,, for something they have no knowledge of !!!!!!…. u or the implement u will use to get rid of me ,, en ready yet !…. go play with yuh marbles ,, or with ur hands !…..
  1. rumpunch1 July 25, 2011 at 8:12 pm
    
    You are trying to stir up things, I’m so sorry you are alone and no one buying into you. Your goodly Dr is/was not and will not be the only murder victim that is a statistic then and now.Why your goodly friend didn’t interview the then head of the GNS?Remember that failing to hand over such evidence to a court of law makes you an accessory to the crime.
    1. rekniht July 25, 2011 at 8:32 pm
      
      ….. it’s a good feeling to be the “pied piper” ,, and have the rats tailing !…..
katwalk_lime July 25, 2011 at 12:39 am

I am a woman, and rape is insulting to my gender, hurts us emotionally and is never forgotten in our lives. Many of us have borne children of these filthy minded rapists. Many of us choose for abortion etc. Nevertheless, it is good to look at our attitude too. Can a cat watch milk for long before tasting. Prevent juicy bones from hungry dogs? HAVE I SPOKEN UP AGAINST THIS AT HOME, THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE STREETS, ON THE JOB, IN THE OFFICE, AT SCHOOL? HAVE I CONDONED IT? It takes 2 to tango. I MUST ask myself. How do I dress to prevent raping? Revealing provocative clothing that shows 2 thirds of my body? What about my speech! What about my being inviting of the opposite sex? Promoting sensuality, erotic behavior, which can be enticing and fulfilling to my honorable husband and myself, putting it on the highway for the public to notice? Concerning these former mentioned, what did I do to prevent raping? What am I doing to prevent raping? What do I plan to do to prevent raping? Rape has crossed all genres, from top to bottom. In neighboring Suriname, an excellent judge was a victim of such atrocity. After that, she has been known for her exacting punishment on offenders of such vile behavior. I suppose Guyana is no better showing from men’s behavior in this part of the world. Men have chosen to go to the max with their kind of predator behavior, rather than being the protector of their mates and family. It seems as though they have forgotten out of whom they have been born, forgetting they have sisters and mothers.

We are living in the last days of this system, and the one who reveals secrets will take away all the covers of lies and deceit and all will be exposed. Who can run away from the Almighty One Jehovah. Us committing anything wrong against our fellow man have poked The above mentioned Person in the eye. All of us are accountable to This One. So, has anyone been able to run off the surface of the earth and hide? Huh?
DUH!
ashleysingh July 25, 2011 at 8:46 am

Rape was the order of the day especially for UG STUDENTS. . Speak to Joe Singh or Norman McLean
carl veecock July 25, 2011 at 2:18 pm

I am a bit lost in these discussions.
Vishnu Bisram states that “rape was widespread”.
Well hmnnn…not really and perhaps not more than the usual occurences at that time.

Rape at the GNS was not a secret.
It was a known fact… but who were the victims?
One case was perhaps the most well known and when I say well known,
I don’t mean that it was published. All of you know that in Guyana rumour is
99.9% fact and that ‘incident’ was a talking point at many ‘rum’ sessions.

I think that Vishnu Bisram should let such old matters rest.
No useful purpose is being served.
Better would be to concentrate and report of the alleged current widespread
incidents and work for decisive actions against the current perpetrators.

Bribery and corruption rampant…now rape an addendum.

What next?
Decisive actions by all !
hwong12008 July 25, 2011 at 4:43 pm

…Vishnu Bisram has documented the FACTS of rape in the Guyana National Service by conducting research in the last few weeks in Guyana. Mr. Bisram, who gives the impression that he wants to do good for Guyana MUST now share his findings with the people. He MUST see this as a moral imperative. Just as the crimes of the PPP will be investigated, so must we investigate ALL who have commited crimes against the people. If Bisram refuses to come forward with the facts gleaned from his research, we can rest assured that there is none..and I predict that he will not be forthcoming since the gfacts gleaned from his research are incorrect in at least one respect.

“One doctor told me he did 12 to 15 abortions on some days of National Service victims during that period….”…….there is no statement that is more a brefaced lie than this one which Bisram is trying to jab down th throats of ignorant guyanese…and he is engaging in the worst kind of intellectual dishonest…using the name of a Doctor, acceptable as a source of expert opinion, to lend credence to his lies……I challenge Bisram to give the name of the Doctor …….and if he doesn’t we will know that once again he can’t…because he is making it all up…like he does with his very suspect polls which he produces to find favour with whichever power broker he may be targetting to do what he does best, suck up !!!!