Sexual violence in any form is an indictment of the society in which it occurs, but none moreso than when it affects children.
Recently, a number of cases involving children being sexually assaulted, even more horrifyingly, children whose ages remain in the single digits, engaged the attention of the courts here. A society is judged not on how it treats its ablest members but its most vulnerable – the young, the elderly, the disabled, etc. Children, irrespective of their ethnic, religious, cultural or social backgrounds, deserve to grow up in an environment where they feel safe and are part of loving and nurturing families.
Sexual violence against them is considered to be a gross violation of children’s rights. According to UNICEF, sexual violence can take the form of sexual abuse, harassment, rape or sexual exploitation in prostitution or pornography. It can happen in homes, institutions, schools, workplaces, in travel and tourism facilities, within communities. Increasingly, the Internet and mobile phones also put children at risk of sexual violence, as some adults look to the Internet to pursue sexual relationships with children. There is also an increase in the number and circulation of images of child abuse.
The 2014 UNICEF study, “Hidden in Plain Sight”, estimates that worldwide, around 120 million girls under the age of 20 (about one in 10) have been subjected to forced sexual intercourse or other forced sexual acts at some point of their lives. Boys also report experiences of sexual violence, but they do so to a lesser extent than girls.
Evidence shows that sexual violence can have serious short- and long-term physical, psychological and social consequences not only for girls or boys, but also for their families and communities. These include increased risks for illness, unwanted pregnancy, psychological distress, stigma, discrimination, and difficulties at school.
In Guyana, the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA) has been on the frontline in bringing some of these cases to light. The Agency must continue to work diligently to ensure that all such cases are brought to the fore, where they could be properly investigated and prosecuted.
Stakeholders must seek to obtain empirical data about the incidence of these crimes against children, especially in the geographical areas in which it is known to occur and put systems in place to prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law. Sexual violence against children is not a new problem, and indeed, the increased reports point to our failure as a society to wipe it from existence, so a holistic prevention plan involving all must be developed based on the data gathered.
The Guyana Police Force is also a key partner in the fight against child sexual violence. The Force must continue to provide the necessary training to its officers to properly investigate sexual crimes against children. Our children need to be assured that when violence against them is reported, the law will act quickly to prosecute the perpetrators, and that our judicial system will function efficiently and equitably to bring such criminals to justice.
Importantly, too, is that all the necessary support systems must be put in place to ensure victims and their families are provided with the counselling, etc, to overcome the trauma of sexual violence.
