Dear Editor,
For some time now I have been getting increasingly incensed by the reports of rape by the cowardly men who prey on unsuspecting females and even young boys by committing the most heinous crimes against them, often done so brutally that they can be considered worse than many murders.
The worst of these in recent months was the brutal rape and murder of innocent, sweet Sade of Mocha; a crime that touched the hearts of most Guyanese.
Then there are the perverts who sodomise little boys and the wicked ones who betray the trust of young relatives, by raping even their own daughters; the frequency of these in recent times has been frightening.
I was pleased to read of the case in St. Lucia where a mother was charged for negligence and jailed when her young daughter was raped by her grandfather and this needs to be emulated here.
I was scandalized to read recently of a case where the aunt of the accused rapist of a 10 year old was allowed to witness the medical examination of this young victim and her own mother was left outside. The doctor in that case (if it did happen like that) was most unethical and the mother was negligent by not insisting on being present. The rapist’s relatives should have been nowhere near that child.
The latest disgusting report of the sickening escapades of these dastardly brutes was the one perpetrated at a well-known timber company against a 17 year old, reportedly quiet, young lady. The reports on this crime indicate the poor girl could not walk or sit without excruciating pain three days after her terrible ordeal.
I would also like to recommend that the man who reportedly raped and sodomised her twice and insisted she perform oral sex on him {also twice}, all without a condom, should be tested for HIV/AIDS and if he is found positive, he should be additionally charged with attempted murder and sentenced accordingly.
Further, I would like to encourage this young lady and her family not to succumb to the lure of money and not allow these criminals to get off by dropping charges against them, since no money can compensate her for the extreme violation she has been cruelly subjected to.
However, not only must they serve the maximum time, they must also be made to financially compensate their victim, moreso in cases such as this where there are reports of the victim and her family being threatened and coerced to drop charges the full brunt of the law must be felt by those who try to use these methods against the victims and their families.
The timber company where this crime occurred should pay for the best counselling and medical attention possible for this young girl and her family and close friends must continue to give her (and others like her) the love and spiritual support needed to help get her through the terrible ordeal.
Finally, I must advocate that the penalties for rape, murder and manslaughter be increased to more realistic terms and, where applicable, the death penalty must be speedily administered, as that will be an effective deterrent to the commission of these crimes, since too often criminals seem to feel they can use contacts and/or money to evade punishment.
Legal practitioners must also work to ensure that especially when minors are involved, the law must have a clause where charges cannot be dropped by the passage of money.
It is also high time that DNA testing and other modern investigative techniques be made available to the police so that they can work optimally to successfully solve these vicious crimes our dear land has been subject to in recent times.
Yours faithfully,
P Alexander
