The Women’s Progressive Organisation, the women’s arm of the ruling party, last evening held a forum at Red House in support for the hundreds of Nigerian girls kidnapped in the West African country by the Muslim group Boko Haram.
Speaking at the event were General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Clement Rohee, Reverend Kwame Gilbert, Pandit Raj of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and Zahora Deen of the Central Islamic Organisation, who all condemned the kidnapping of the girls.
Chairing the event was WPO member Sheila Verasammy. When asked about the organisation’s response to critics who say that it should be focusing more on local issues, such as the allegations of abuse committed on female inmates of the New Opportunity Corps, Verasammy said, “Guyana has issues. Guyana always has issues and issues will always come up in Guyana that we will always have to deal with.
But this particular issue we don’t have in Guyana and we hope and pray to God that we will never have such things occurring in our midst.”
She added, “The people in Nigeria need Guyana’s support. It needs support of the Women’s Progressive Organisation…. Those issues [at the NOC], once those issues happen and it comes to the people who are in charge, I know [Youth Minister Frank Anthony] would never, ever condone such acts. Those perpetrators will be brought to justice,” she added, of the allegations of sexual and physical abuse made by female inmates against NOC staff.
