There is a well-known African proverb which says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” This compelling statement, few in words, draws attention to the twin facts that a child is the product of their environment and we are, each of us, our brother’s keeper. The goings-on in individual households coalesce into the sum-total of happenings in the village, town, or country. It would be naïve, therefore, to think that whatever is happening in your neighbour’s house does not affect you at all, because it does indeed have an impact, particularly on that most fertile of minds: the mind of the child.
It is therefore a matter of critical urgency that the elimination of child sexual molestation and child abuse generally, which sadly is occurring in our homes, villages, towns and city, become the responsibility of each adult relative, neighbour and friend of vulnerable children. The “village” must show concern for the well-being of each of its young children by being on the lookout for instances of abuse and sexual molestation of children and reporting the matter to the police and the Child Protection Agency.
Recently, the news media have been awash with several reports of sexual molestation of children and statutory rape of minors by adults. On February 5th, we reported the chilling story of a man allegedly caught with four minor boys after one of them had gone missing and his parents and villagers launched a search party. Enraged villagers allegedly torched the shack that the man was in at the time he was found with the children. But what was perhaps of tremendous import is the revelation by the villagers that they had suspected the individual of preying on minors since he would lure children to his house by offering food. While this matter is currently under investigation and we make no assessment of guilt or innocence in this case, it is important to note that medical inspections done on the children confirm that they were sexually assaulted.
Very often, neighbours, friends or relatives, are in a good position to spot suspicious behaviour and report same to the authorities. However, probably for many differing reasons, people are usually uneasy about making reports to the police and other state agencies, and we believe the issue of confidentiality is one such reason. The right of the accused to confront his accuser means that persons making reports must be courageous enough to stand up for what they believe in. It also means that they must exercise some care in concluding that the matter is one that must be reported to the authorities. A willingness to err on the side of caution can possibly save many children from suffering abuse at the hands of adults, but this can also create other problems if the person reporting the allegation is proven wrong.
Being our “brother’s keeper” and looking out for the wellbeing of young children in our streets and villages and towns is not an easy task, and it shouldn’t be. However, it is a praiseworthy obligation of every adult and one that should not be taken lightly. There have been occasions that reports were indeed made to the police but were not acted on, and this is a matter whose resolution must continuously engage the hierarchy of the Guyana Police Force (GPF). The Child Protection Agency (CPA) and the GPF should be able to work seamlessly together by now in investigating such allegations, treating them with the level of care and seriousness warranted. The possibility, or occurrence, of occasional wrongful allegations should neither deter nor distract the GPF and the CPA from fully investigating every report reaching their desks.
The alleged and proven perpetrators of these acts have proven to come from a wide cross section of the communities in which the crimes have been committed and this points to a possibly hidden, but entrenched practice of child sexual molestation occurring in Guyana that must be stamped out with the greatest dispatch. The CPA has generally shown a willingness to treat such matters with urgency and it is probably the GPF that must play catch up, training its officers in social work practices, possibly with the help of the CPA itself, and the Ministry of Social Protection.
Young children in temporary custody of the state have also been molested in the past, and even recently, a member of the GPF was charged with the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl. This also points to a culture of child sexual molestation across Guyana that requires serious action, with the culprits being incarcerated according to the seriousness of the crime and to the full extent of the law.
Just last December, a man was sentenced to life in prison by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow for the unthinkable rape of a one-year old baby which the culprit performed in the presence of other children. Calling the act “reprehensible,” the Judge made it clear that, “The court has a duty to send a strong message that such acts will not be condoned.” And on Monday last, the same Judge sentenced another man to 14 years imprisonment for the rape of an underaged girl three years ago. The sentence was initially 21 years, but the judge struck off one third of his sentence because of his “early plea.”
The Court has demonstrated some degree of serious commitment to sending a stern message to child sexual molesters, and we trust that the GPF and the CPA can improve their synergies in order to execute more efficient investigations and find and prosecute more heinous perpetrators. However, it is John and Jane public who must keep a vigilant and protective eye over our young children, the village must indeed raise the child; safely and securely.
