Dear Editor,
We note with horror and dismay the most recent reports of the rape, sexual assault and grooming by Nigel Dharamlall, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development. We are deeply sorry about the trauma that this young teen has had to suffer during her young life. We stand in solidarity with her during this terrible ordeal which is still ongoing and want her to know that like many Guyanese, we are hoping for the very best outcome possible for her. We hope that the support from many members of the public, including indigenous organizations and other NGOs as well as from the State agencies and the Child Advocacy Centres, will help her to stand strong and heal from the traumas she was forced to suffer.
Rape is indeed the most heinous of crimes; it is a physical and psychological violation of both a person’s emotional sense of self and of bodily integrity. We know that many survivors feel frightened, guilty, powerless, angry and ashamed. We want to stress that the most important thing for a survivor of sexual violence to hear and know is that this is not their fault, even as sexual predators and rapists try to turn the blame onto the victim, and in so doing, further re-traumatize their victims. A tactic frequently used to defend the perpetrators of rape and sexual assault. Please look out for all the tricks of the trade which will be used in the legal process by defence lawyers. We, and others, will be following this case very carefully to ensure that justice is indeed served. As a first step we call for the resignation and/or dismissal of Nigel Dharamlall, both from Parliament and as Minister of Local Government and Regional Development.
Usually, reports of the many cases of rape reported to relevant authorities do not make headline news. Nor are they as widely circulated on social media. While this media attention is indeed a terrible breach of confidentiality and terribly re-traumatizing for this survivor, and all other survivors of sexual crimes, it also indicates a lack of confidence in not only the laws of Guyana as they relate to sexual offences, but also in the State authorities such as the police to carry out an impartial investigation. Therefore, we understand why many survivors have had to use social media and other public platforms to share their stories because they have little or no trust in the justice system. Some of us have seen reports where attempts were made to notify the authorities in order to stop the sexual violence. This is heightened when it comes to persons in positions of power and influence such as Nigel Dharamlall, the governing party he represents, and all others in Guyanese society in positions of power and influence. Let us be clear: all those who protected and might still be protecting the deviant sexual behaviour of Nigel Dharamlall are not blameless. It is well-documented and known that serial sexual abusers will not stop until they are stopped.
Action against Dharamlall should have been taken since last year when inappropriate comments of a sexual nature were made against an MP during a formal sitting of the Parliament of Guyana. Action against Dharamlall should have been taken when a young woman, outside of Guyana, made public unwanted sexual texts and pornographic sexual photos sent to her by Dharamlall through social media platforms. This young woman also revealed that six other women had reached out to her about similar acts they experienced. These incidents, especially the sexually explicit texts and photos sent by Dharamlall, are offences in Guyana and the perpetrator should have been charged as others in Guyana have been. Yet neither the Minister of Human Services, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Education nor any other woman or male minister on the Government side took this necessary action; maybe this would have stopped Dharamlall in his tracks and thus prevented this recent terrible sexual violation from happening. Now is the time for the Minister of Human Services and the Child Protection Agency to also probe into other reported or unreported acts of grooming, sexual assault or other inappropriate conduct by Nigel Dharamlall during his tenure as Minister of Local Government and Regional Development.
In spite of the recent arrest of Nigel Dharamlall by the police, several questions based on information in the public arena are still to be answered to ensure there was no deliberate obstruction of the investigation, charging and prosecution of this major crime. These include: Were visits made by Government officials to the family of the survivor, and if so, when, by whom and for what reasons? Was a statement on this issue initially recanting any assault given to a superintendent from Anna Regina Divisional Headquarters? Was any form of compensation paid to any family member of the survivor, when, by whom and for what reasons?
The Guyana Sexual Offence Act (SOA), in effect since 2010 with revisions, has been lauded as one of the most modern and far-reaching in the Caribbean. There have been numerous training sessions for the police force by multiple agencies on the SOA and procedures for addressing reports of child sexual abuse. Child Advocacy Centres have been established specifically to address the scourge of sexual abuse of children, in particular, for conducting interviews with children in the least harmful way. Recent trends, despite progressive legislation and improvements in the administration of cases, reveal weaknesses in the justice system resulting in lack of convictions or overturning of convictions on appeal to higher courts.
We have to ask whether the impact of a multi-billion EU funded Guyana Spotlight Programme spearheaded by UN Agencies and the Ministry and Minister of Social Protection is really giving Guyana value for money. Do we really have a system and necessary resources which are effective and fairly distributed throughout all regions of Guyana? Is there an ongoing campaign at every level of society on prevention, protection and prosecution of sexual and gender based violence with systems in place to address these crimes when reported regardless of the status and political influence of the victim/survivors? The answer is NO. Unfortunately, in this case, it has taken a while for the system to be put into effect. The result has been some missteps and delays which have created a whole set of traumas, for not only the survivor, but for all agencies working in the area of gender-based violence and protection and other concerned Guyanese, particularly women and Indigenous peoples. And while Guyana boasts of progress made we are still near the bottom when it comes to quality of life, sexual and gender-based violence and access to good quality social services.
Sincerely,
Danuta Radzik
Karen de Souza
Vidyaratha Kissoon
Vanda Radzik
Halima Khan
Wintress White
Joy Marcus
Vanessa Ross
