The Story within the Story…Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence:

May 07, 2017 News

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Speed on new legislation, please!

By Leonard Gildarie

Late last month, the news was hidden in the dailies.

Government was moving to review the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Acts.
It appeared to not be a big deal. After all, there are more pressing issues to look at.
But the issues are very real. Domestic violence and sexual offences continue to bother us. In almost every community, every street, someone will tell you of a man who beats his wife. They can tell you of someone they know who has committed suicide. They can tell of neighbours cussing down each other and late night fights that wake up the neighbourhood.
They can tell of someone who has been sexually abused.
At one time, Guyana became known as the suicide country of the world. Per capita, we had more people killing themselves than any other country in the world.
For a long time, the issue of how we handled sexual offences and domestic violence cases has been a major problem.
The police stations, already under pressure and underpaid with poor facilities and equipment, were sometimes dismissive of persons who would come pleading for help.
Now, we are learning of special police ranks who have been trained to handle the cases.
Imagine there was a time when in the presence of other cops, a woman is forced to relive her ordeal of being beaten in an open office. Or worse yet, a sexually-abused victim having to recount the act, in the presence of a driver from the village who is sitting on the bench for a traffic offence.
Some police stations have already been remodeled with a special room to handle these sensitive cases.
But there is some more good news now.
According to the Ministry of Social Protection’s Sexual and Domestic Violence Unit, it is working to have the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Acts reviewed for better handling of related cases.
Manager of the Sexual and Domestic Violence Unit, Akilah Doris, said the aim is to have the Act more broad-based and concrete so that domestic violence will be taken more seriously in Guyana.
Hopefully, Government will introduce harsher penalties for men who beat their wives, and to cater for cases which evoke laughter and crude remarks, of husbands being beaten by wives.
“We want to deter perpetrators; we are really hoping that when families recognise that things aren’t going well, they can come forward and seek support rather than waiting until it escalates to a higher level,” Doris explained.
The official’s explanations would mirror the concerns of what many Guyanese would know. Several sexual offences and domestic violence cases are not properly handled.
On the issue of sexual offences, it is the feeling that many cases go unreported.
Many poor families, rather than face the “shame” of appearing in court, prefer to settle it.
It is a fact that a vast majority of sex crimes are committed by persons close to the family.
We need to tighten up on our laws that would make persons think 10 times before committing an act.
I read of a pastor recently convicted of raping a child being attacked in prison.
Having sex with an underage school girl should never be par for the course. How many cases do we know of yet we accept it? How many pregnant teenagers do we know whose promising futures have been cut short?
We have become immune to the many social ills facing us, because the reality is that people are not scared of the system.
A United States of America report on human rights practices for 2015 had highlighted the shortcomings in Guyana, describing the domestic violence situation here as widespread.
According to the report, the police in 2015 received 2,170 reports of domestic violence cases, and 1,131 persons were charged for last year.
The report said that survivors, frequently, were unwilling to press charges due to a lack of confidence in obtaining a remedy through the courts. Some preferred to reach a pecuniary settlement out of court.
According to the US State Department, there were reports of police accepting bribes from perpetrators and other reports of Magistrates applying inadequate sentences after conviction.
It was pointed out that some women are reluctant to go through with charges, since in most cases they are financially dependent on the perpetrators.
A few NGOs like Help and Shelter have been conducting awareness sessions to sensitize individuals about domestic violence and counseled persons affected by domestic abuse or violence, during face-to-face counseling sessions and via the hotline.
In addition to domestic violence, the US State Department Report also highlighted Guyana’s shortcomings with regards to the issue of rape, citing infrequent successful prosecutions.
Authorities received 233 reports of rape in 2015 and charged 36 persons. This is compounded by a large court backlog.
I do believe that churches, mandirs and mosques should play a more prominent role. Many of them, unfortunately, concentrate on the weekly services and it is back to business after those have ended.
Our Neighbourhood Democratic Councils should become more involved.
The police have a role to play in sensitization. Our councilors, village leaders and businesses have to be wooed to play their part.
Until such time as new, tougher laws are enacted, the onus is on us to look out for our communities and not leave it to the government. After all, the victims could be our children, our sisters and brothers and our neighbours.

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