Where are these men?

Jun 18, 2026 Editorial, News

(Kaieteur News) – The recent disclosure that 584 girls under the age of 16 became pregnant between 2020 and 2025 should have shaken the entire nation. Instead, it risks becoming just another statistic presented in parliament and forgotten by the next news cycle.

But Guyanese should not allow that to happen.

The figure, disclosed by Human Services Minister Dr. Vindhya Persaud, represents children. These are not young adults. These are not consenting women. These are girls below the age of legal consent. Under Guyana’s laws, pregnancies involving children under the age of 16 are not merely social concerns; they are potential criminal matters.

The law is clear. Sexual activity with a child under 16 constitutes a statutory offence. That is why one question towers above every other: Where are the men responsible?

If 584 girls under 16 became pregnant over a five-year period, why did the public not hear of hundreds of men being arrested, charged and brought before the courts?

The government cannot be satisfied with presenting alarming statistics while remaining silent about outcomes. Numbers alone do not protect children. Investigations do. Arrests do. Prosecutions do. Convictions do.

For years, Kaieteur News has reported extensively on cases of sexual abuse involving children. We have consistently highlighted the vulnerabilities faced by minors, the failures of institutions to intervene early enough, and the need for stronger protections for victims.

Yet this latest disclosure exposes a troubling disconnect between policy and enforcement.

The minister herself explained that every case involving a child under 16 is reported to the Guyana Police Force because such pregnancies constitute statutory offences. If that is indeed the procedure, then the natural question is: What became of those police reports?

How many investigations were launched?

How many suspects were identified?

How many charges were laid?

How many cases reached the courts?

How many convictions were secured?

The public deserves answers.

This is not a matter of seeking sensational headlines. It is about accountability. Every one of those 584 cases potentially points to a serious criminal offence. Every one represents a child whose life trajectory may have been permanently altered.

Government officials often urge citizens to report abuse and trust the system. But trust cannot be built on secrecy and incomplete information.

Even more troubling is that this revelation comes against the backdrop of recent attempts to shield the identities of rapists and other sex offenders from public disclosure. Kaieteur News has previously reported on efforts that raised serious concerns about transparency and public safety.

One has to wonder whether that philosophy is contributing to the silence surrounding these cases.

The rights and privacy of child victims must always be protected. There can be no debate about that. But protecting victims should never translate into protecting perpetrators.

The public has no interest in knowing the identity of a 13-year-old victim. The public does, however, have every right to know whether adult offenders are being arrested and prosecuted.

There is a dangerous message being sent when nearly 600 underage pregnancies are recorded over five years, yet society cannot readily point to a corresponding number of prosecutions.

What message does that send to predators?

What message does it send to vulnerable children?

What message does it send to families who may already be reluctant to come forward?

Statistics without consequences only embolden criminals.

If government agencies are identifying these cases, if hospitals and healthcare providers are making referrals, if Child Protection Officers are conducting investigations, and if the Guyana Police Force is receiving reports, then the public should be seeing evidence that the criminal justice system is functioning.

The country should not have to wonder whether offenders are being held accountable.

Government must now go beyond releasing figures in Parliament. It must release results.

Tell the nation how many investigations were conducted. Tell the nation how many charges were filed. Tell the nation how many convictions were secured.

Because if 584 girls under the age of 16 became pregnant, Guyana should not be left asking where the men responsible have gone

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Child Protection Officers, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, Human Services Minister, underage pregnancy

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