Just under four years ago, a woman who went to lodge a report at the Turkeyen Police Station about a squib attack was raped by two policemen there, while a third refused to entertain her subsequent complaint of sexual violation, raising the question of what the government and law enforcers have done since then to ensure there is no recurrence.
The woman, who had gone to the Turkeyen station to lodge a report against an individual who had thrown a squib at her son on January 1, 2018, ended up being violated by the system which she turned to for help.
The perpetrators of the crime, Delon Chapman and Leon Ashby, were last week each sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.
It has been almost four years since this attack and while sexual assault remains one of the most prevalent crimes today, it unclear whether any fundamental changes have been made in the force. On Thursday, two policemen were charged at Lethem over the alleged rape of a woman in August 2020.
Contacted recently, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn asked this newspaper to direct its questions on the issue to the Commissioner of Police.
However, several calls made by this newspaper to Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie’s phone went unanswered.
The prosecution facts had stated that after the approximately 30-minute rape ordeal, the victim ran into the station and screamed “rape,” and told a policeman by the name of “Keizer”, who she had initially gone to lodge the squib report what had happened to her but he refused to take her report.
Instead, he instructed Chapman and Ashby to “take [her] away,” stating that she could “not make two reports at once.” The woman refused to go with the men but was still forced into the back passenger seat of a vehicle to go in search of the individual who had thrown the squib. The High Court had heard from the woman that it was that very man to whom she complained of being raped by the two policemen.
She said that she then went home and told her husband what had happened to her and he took her back to the Turkeyen Station where she said “Keizer” again refused to take her report.
It was only after she stripped her clothes out of frustration that her report of having been raped was eventually taken.
“Entertain” the report
In a recent telephone interview with Stabroek News, Court Superintendent of Region 4A, Assistant Superintendent Shellon Daniels said in keeping with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the woman’s report should have been entertained.
“They should have taken the report. The SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) is that it doesn’t matter who…The SOP is that one, the person should be properly interviewed; two, a record of the person’s report should be made, thirdly, action should be taken and report upward, “Daniels explained.
“That is the SOP…..The police are public servants, they are servants to the public….The SOP is that it doesn’t matter if it’s a member of the force….The first thing [that] should have been done there was take her report. Where? When? What? How everything happen? Did you consent? Once she said no she did not consent then the next thing, a proper record, should have been made of the incident… [and] report upwards for the necessary actions,” she added.
Once the report was taken, Daniels said in keeping with the protocols, it should have been documented. “…Whether it was in the occurrence or the crime book and the two ranks should have been placed under close arrest,” Daniels said.
She further explained that the report would then have to be passed to the respective unit for further investigation to be carried out. “In keeping with the Sexual Offences Act, then the file should have been compiled within three months of the report and forwarded to the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) for legal advice,” Daniels stated.
Police officers’ refusal to take reports from victims has been a longstanding issue which members of the public often complain about.
In 2019, the then Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, had said that ranks do not have the right to refuse to take reports from victims regardless of the jurisdiction.
Ramjattan had said ranks who are found responsible for doing this will face disciplinary action/s.
In this case, it remains unknown whether “Keizer” faced any penalty and if he remains on the job.
“High risk”
Meanwhile, the Director and Coordinator of the Help and Shelter, Colin Marks said women are generally at high risk as it relates to violence in society.
“Women are really at risk in our society for violence, sexual violence more so. And sexual violence just like any other form of violence is one of power, extreme power, exercising extreme power. That is what happened. That woman was overpowered … by two police officers. And if women are being treated like this, worse yet children. Because children are far more vulnerable. Worse yet the girl child,” Marks stressed.
In the past, Marks explained that an internal assessment done by the organization showed that out of more than 70 cases of rape, there were only 4 judicial outcomes. “Sometimes rape cases go through the court system very, very long and the victim becomes disenchanted with trying to prove or trying to get justice,” he said.
While noting that rape was one of the most “heinous” crimes any woman could endure in her life, Marks noted that it was done by persons who were sworn to protect her, making it even more heinous. “Even if she had gone there several times, even if she was drunk as a fish, they had no right to violate her,” he lamented.
“Red flagged”
According to Marks, the perpetrators of crimes of this nature should be red flagged for life.
“These people have to be red flagged for the rest of their lives…Crimes against women are human rights crimes and are human rights violations. It’s just like your preying on the poor and the vulnerable and that cannot be allowed to happen,” Marks said.
Marks explained that while the GPF training curriculum focuses on these issues, there is a need for stronger reinforcement internally.
“Police officers can’t make that decision to violate people just like that. People going seeking your help and understanding that you are there for protection and service. I mean that’s the service, that’s the protection they can expect?” he said.
Since entering office, the government has embarked on a number of initiatives which are aimed at eliminating violence, particularly against women and children.
Currently, two thousand members of the GPF are being trained in batches on how to deal with domestic violence reports under the COPSQUAD 2000 initiative.
The initiative, which was launched in August this year by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security (MOHSSS) in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund is part of the strengthening of the national response against all forms of violence against women and girls.
In addition, the MOHSSS has also launched the Spotlight Initiative programme to educate, spread awareness, and provide intervention to victims of violence regardless of gender and age.
Under this initiative, a 914 hotline was also launched in direct response to the escalating number of domestic and sexual violence cases. The 24-hour toll-free hotline allows persons to call to report the crime and also seek assistance.
Apart from training, police stations across the country are also being built and/or renovated to cater for victims of domestic and sexual abuse.
“Compliant”
Marks further told Stabroek News that the system needs to be made compliant to protect women.
Marks related that the GPF needs to ensure that there are designated persons at every police station across the country to deal with reports such as domestic violence and sexual assault.
“…I think it needs to be enforced that women’s cases are special cases. You go in to make a report. You have to have somebody designated to deal with women issues because most of the time because of the gender constructs in our society women are considered powerless and men are considered powerful and I mean this is the result you would get……It’s absolutely ludicrous that anybody can think that the law didn’t really serve,” he stressed.
If this situation is not addressed and this type of behaviour continues, Marks said, it will cause more and more women to choose not to report their violations.
“That makes them more powerless….Women now have to be re-educated as to how they can make reports. They are going to have to start employing these measures because they can’t feel safe if they could go to a station and can be raped,” he added.
When individuals face such experiences in life, Marks noted that there are long term effects for the rest of their lives. As a result, he said there is a need for continuing support and intervention.
“…That woman is going to go through that trauma for the rest of her life and if she has children there is going to be a spin-off because she is going to be acting out….It’s tough. Much less if she never had a father in her life and men who stood out as role models in her life. We cannot allow our women to continue to go through that. It’s not right,” Marks said.
