The Childcare and Protection Agency (C&PA) is spearheading the investigation of the alleged rape of a six-year-old student at an East Coast Demerara primary school earlier this week and preparations are being made for him to be interviewed tomorrow.
This was confirmed by C&PA Director Ann Greene, who told Sunday Stabroek yesterday that the interview will be recorded on video and done in the presence of all stakeholders involved in the investigation.
Greene added that arrangements are also being put in place to ensure that the child receives the necessary care, including counselling.
“The child right now, the family is very supportive but by time the child finishes the interview, yes, he will have to get the scheduled counselling time,” she said.
Greene explained that so far, three male students of the school have been implicated in the attack.
“So far we got the perpetrators, it’s just about three that we are looking at, but I am saying we got to get the whole story. We got to get the child to get it so we are still at that stage,” she noted.
The alleged attack occurred on Monday in a washroom at the school. The perpetrators are said to be a group of boys from a higher grade.
The victim, this newspaper has been told, was threatened to not speak about the attack. As a result, he did not inform his parents what had occurred when he went home. It was not until he was about to shower that they noticed blood on his underwear and enquired what happened and learnt about the assault.
The Ministry of Education has launched an investigation as has the Guyana Police Force.
Parents of some of the students of the school staged a protest last Friday to press for the removal of the accused perpetrators. The parents showed up in front the school premises, where they voiced their concerns about the alleged attack, while expressing fear for their own children who attend the school.
Bullying
Meanwhile, Greene explained that while the case is very sensitive, it highlights the issue of bullying in schools that the agency is seeking to address.
“…It’s very sensitive, it’s very technical for us but it has to be addressed. Again it’s bullying in school and yes, children are being sexually bullied in school. So we are addressing it,” she stated.
She said the CC&PA is prepared to tackle the issue “head on” and is willing to work with the key stakeholders in order to get this done.
“…The teachers got to take control of the classrooms and just let it be known that no violence or anything of its kind will be tolerated,” Greene said.
She related that she was recently invited to the Schools Welfare Conference, where she was asked to present on bullying in schools and how the issue can be addressed.
“…So we really looking at it, how it can be addressed. But it’s like child abuse. Let [us] just say, it involves everybody. Everybody got to look at it… we have to really address it right now, so there is much to be done,” Greene said.
She further explained that in an effort to get this done, focus also has to be placed teachers and children as well as families. “….We are going to have to… we got to involve the family, we got to be aware because the bullies coming from their home so we got to look at it,” Greene added.
Recently there has been a number of violent incidents in schools, most of which appear to be as a result of bullying.
At the start of November, eight-year-old Richard Boodram was allegedly brutally beaten by his classmates at the Mon Repos Primary school. He sustained severe injuries to his left eye as a result of the attack and is still hospitalised.
Doctors recently learnt that the eye is infected. He is likely to spend his Christmas holiday in the hospital.
