Latest update March 25th, 2025 7:08 AM
Latest News
- Surinamese invest US$516M into country’s first oil project
- ExxonMobil impact study for Hammerhead project silent on likely explosion from new pipeline
- ‘A shocking breach’: Trump officials leak military attacks to The Atlantic
- Pensioner goes missing during creek outing at Kwakwani
- Cuban national jailed for entering Guyana illegally
Moruca residents urged to speak out against sexual and domestic Violence
…during three-day outreach by DPP and W&GEC
Kaieteur News – Residents of Kwebanna and Manawarin in Sub-Region 1, Moruca are being urged to speak out against sexual and domestic violence which are prevalent in the communities.
State Counsel, Marisa Edwards interacting with residents
The call was made by representatives of the Director of Public Prosecution’s Chambers during a three-day collaborative outreach with the Women and Gender Equality Commission (W&GEC) to the communities from April 13 to 15, 2023.
The mostly women and girls who attended the meetings, were urged to stop peeping from behind their curtains during acts of domestic violence and call the police.
“Stop peeping from behind your blinds when your neighbor is being beaten up, regardless if it’s a man or woman…domestic violence, sexual violence is all crimes and crime is everybody’s business. Call the police; stop the whispering in your home, ‘look he beating she again or look she beating he again because when the beatings escalate to more serious crime like murder, it will be too late when you tell the police, “is long they fighting, is long he beating she or she beating he, ” DPP’s Communication’s Officer, Liz Rahaman told the residents. Rahaman was accompanied by State Counsel Marisa Edward.
Several residents complained that they would make reports of sexual offences and domestic violence to sitting Toshaos, but often the reports were not reported to the Acquiro Police Station and sometimes when such reports were given to the police, they were not investigated.
The DPP’s Representatives explained that while Toshaos are empowered to deal with issues within their communities, they do not have the authority to deal with serious and indictable criminal matters like sexual offences, murders and domestic violence.
“You can deal with the issues like disorderly behaviour and noise nuisance, not the serious ones like rape and domestic violence,” a representative from the DPP’s Chambers told the residents.
Meanwhile, the DPP’s Chambers in a statement following the outreach noted that statistics for Region One obtained from the Childcare and Protection Agency’s 2022 Annual Report revealed that there were 29 Sexual Offences, 30 matters for delinquent behaviour, reports of physical abuse, reports for attempted suicide, cases of neglect committed on children, a total of 13 underage and teenage pregnancies and one stab wound report.
From 2022 to present, the DPP’s Chambers received and gave legal advice in nine police files for the offences of attempted murder, sexual offences and felonious wounding.
Other major complaints highlighted were the consumption of alcohol by teenagers and selling of alcohol to them, teenage pregnancy, selling and smoking of marijuana by school aged children and the inhalation of gasoline by youths.
In the remote Manawarin area, one elder made an appeal for the relevant authority to establish a Police Outpost in order to have a constant police presence. The main Acquiro Police Station is approximately one hour’s drive from this area by trail during the dry weather.
Toshaos and residents thanked the DPP’s team for its outreach since it gave them the opportunity to learn and better understand the functions and works of the DPP’s Office within the Criminal Justice System.
Meanwhile, the W&GEC representatives urged the women to become more involved in community leadership and governance and to support each other.
“Unity is strength, so come together and pool your knowledge and whatever small resources you have to come up with ways that would be beneficial to your community,” a W&GEC representative said.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Desecration, Disrespectful, and Disgraceful
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- The solemnity of Babu Jaan, a site meant to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Cheddi... more
The Caribbean: Destined to Grin and Bear the Consequences of Its Self-Created Vulnerabilities?
By Sir Ronald Sanders For decades, many Caribbean nations have grappled with dependence on a small number of powerful countries... more
Weekend Cartoon
