Guyanese women and men yesterday turned out in protest action in solidarity with the Mahdia woman who said she was gang-raped and they condemned the system’s failure in adequately aiding her.
Late last month, the woman had reported that she was drugged and brutally raped by three men with whom she worked with in a popular hotel and bar in Mahdia. However, earlier this week, the police said they had launched no investigation into a rape allegation by the young Amerindian woman. Instead, they said, the Director of Public Prosecutions had recommended a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm.
At a protest in front of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters at Eve Leary, supporters yesterday voiced their outrage at the shortcomings in the case. For more than an hour, they waved placards while loudly expressing their disgust. “Authorities do your job!” one placard read, while another questioned, “Where is the Sexual Offences Act?”
“This is not acceptable,” protester Nadia Sagar said. She went on, “What happens to the victim? What happens to her life after this? This is why I’m out here because it’s not just a women’s issue…this is something that needs to be highlighted over and over again.”
In support of the woman, members of Red Thread demanded that the police and medical authorities demonstrate real commitment in implementing the Sexual Offences Act. “We call for justice for all victims of rape and sexual assault in Guyana, no matter where the offence takes place and who or how well connected the attackers are,” the organisation said in a release.
Red Thread further pointed out that rape victims ought to be privy to the assistance of law enforcement and health personnel. However, Red Thread said, these personnel have shown a “disturbing lack of commitment”, evident in the unavailability of a rape kit at the Mahdia Hospital along with the unprofessional treatment given by the interior police.
“The laws on the books are given mere lip service, with their actual implementation and enforcement being severely deficient,” the organisation said.
The group also believed that the Ministry of Health should be held accountable, not only for its poorly trained staff but also for the lack of rape kits to hinterland hospitals. Red Thread further noted that medical examinations play critical roles in the quest for justice by rape victims.
Red Thread also called out the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and stated that there is still much ignorance on the causes of rape and sexual assault within the force, even at the senior level.
“Individuals who have been thus traumatised require understanding and sensitive treatment, and for their claims to be taken seriously. Police and healthcare workers who are untrained, hostile, and unwilling to do their job correctly, or influenced by fear or bribery by the attackers, are an impediment to justice and should be strictly disciplined,” Red Thread said. It further emphasised, “All rape and sexual assault allegations in Guyana must be taken seriously and investigated properly – on the coast as well as in hinterland communities.”
A few days ago, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) called for the Ministry of Health and the GPF to take a more professional and realistic approach to allegations of sexual assault in the hinterland regions.
Meanwhile, the complainant and her friend have expressed gratitude to their supporters. “We’re very, very, happy that our fellow women are coming out to show support,” the woman’s friend said. She went on, “I feel like we’re moving ahead now; I thought we were fighting a losing battle alone.”
