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Three convictions out of 169 sexual assault cases in 2024

Apr 07, 2025 News

Kaieteur News- In 2024, only three convictions were recorded out of 169 sexual assault cases brought before the court system.

This is according to statistics provided to Kaieteur News by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit (SP&DVPU). This marks one of the lowest number of convictions for sexual assault offences from 2016 to 2024.

As of 2024, a total of 3,548 reports of sexual assault had been filed, with 1,835 cases brought to court and 282 convictions recorded over the past eight years. The figures show a fluctuating pattern in the number of reports, cases filed, and convictions over this period.

In 2021, the highest number of reports was recorded at 658, with 347 cases filed and 28 convictions. Other notable years include 2016, which saw 308 reports, 85 cases filed, and just three convictions. In 2017, there were 266 reports, 218 cases, and 10 convictions. Meanwhile, 2018 recorded 281 reports, 173 cases filed, and 40 convictions. The number of reports began to rise significantly from 2020 onward, with 496 reports, 425 cases filed, and 69 convictions in that year alone. In 2022, 452 reports were filed, 213 cases were pursued, and 34 convictions were secured. In 2023, 333 reports led to 161 cases filed, with only 16 convictions.

These figures raise concerns about the disproportionately low number of convictions relative to the number of cases filed.

Officers from the ministry expressed concerns about how these cases are handled once they enter the court system. They emphasised that the lack of justice for victims often discourages others from reporting their experiences. One officer explained, “People don’t report these matters sometimes because they think nothing will come of it. Sometimes it feels like the system is fighting against you, because I know people who were assaulted and have asked, ‘What’s the point?’”

In 2024, several high-profile cases of sexual assault have emerged. In September, Deputy Superintendent Karl Wilson, stationed at the Criminal Investigative Department (CID), was charged with two counts of sexual assault against a male colleague. Wilson pleaded not guilty to both charges, with bail set at $75,000 for each count. An investigation into the alleged incidents began in June 2024.

In August, Adrian Narine, former Chief Photographer at the Guyana Chronicle, was charged with sexually assaulting a woman. Narine, also known as Vishwanauth Narine, was placed on $100,000 bail after appearing at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, which stemmed from an incident in December 2023. Narine had been placed on leave by the newspaper’s management after one of his colleagues reported the assaults to the Alberttown Police Station.

Additionally, in February, a 66-year-old labourer from Suddie Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast, was charged with sexually assaulting a female in Region Two last October. Dhudnauth Parbattie appeared before Magistrate Esther Sam at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court, where the charges were read to him. He pleaded not guilty, and bail was granted in the amount of $50,000.

(Three convictions out of 169 sexual assault cases in 2024)

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