Dear Editor,
As someone who has worked for over 30 years in prevention, protection and response to sexual and gender-based violence affecting directly or indirectly primary and secondary students, their parents and teachers, I would like to offer the following perspectives and recommendations in connection with not only the recent incidents involving students attending St Joseph High School but also the general situation of sexual abuse among school age children.
I believe it is much more correct to identify what occurred at St Joseph High School (SJHS) as sexualized bullying, sexual harassment and even a type of sexual abuse. The sexualized aspect of the incidents cannot be swept under the carpet of generalized ‘bullying’. Additionally, most incidents of sexualized bullying, sexual harassment and sexual abuse among student age populations are never reported due to inadequate responses when reported, inadequate protective systems, threats and intimidation and feelings of shame, embarrassment and hopelessness on the part of survivors. Additionally, such incidents are accepted as normalized behaviour in too many of our communities and institutions.
It is good that the Ministry of Education has said it has launched a full investigation into the SJHS matter and by now I can only hope that some healing, satisfaction, redress and justice were experienced by those affected. I also appreciate the ChildLink statement which very correctly explained that bullying behaviour including sexualized bullying does not arise out of nowhere but is often learned behaviour occurring when children exposed to bullying and other forms of child abuse including physical, emotional and sexual, repeat the same types of behaviours on younger vulnerable children.
In the revealing Caribbean Investigative Journalism Network article written by Nazima Raghubir – In This South American Nation Rapes of Women, Young Girls and Migrants are Rampant, we learn that sexual offences cases made up more than half, 52%, of all cases heard in the Demerara Assizes in January 2024. These included 114 of cases of rape, 23 cases of sexual activity with a child family member, better known as incest and one case of sexual activity with a child under the age of 16. Between April 2024 and June 2024, we also learnt that 478 cases of sexual offences were reported, 192 persons were charged with rape and 39 for sexual activity with a child family member i.e. incest. These are horrific numbers and reminds us that in Guyana we have an epidemic of sexual violence and a rape culture with most of the survivors being school age children.
Despite this epidemic of sexual violence, responses to address this problem are sorely lacking. There is no evidence that the Ministry of Education (MOE) has a policy on prevention and response to sexual violence even in the face of reoccurring incidents of sexual violence, sexual harassment and sexualized bullying not only in schools but also nationally which disproportionally affects school age children, instead it has 12 -13 policies and guidance on risk management, books, order and discipline, role of schools welfare officers, discipline of teachers and professional standards, school health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS, and a protocol on safe and secure schools.
While the 2001 Protocol on Safe and Secure Schools address several issues and has a zero tolerance to indiscipline (even as corporal punishment remains legal in schools) including the prohibition of weapons, drugs, pornographic materials and its transmission, the establishment of individual safety and security committees and safety school plans, there is no mention of sexual abuse as an issue affecting students. This is a glaring omission. The current Minister of Education who piloted and oversaw the enactment of Sexual Offences Act should immediately put in place a protocol and policy on prevention and response to sexual violence in schools and throughout the education system. This is even more necessary as it is well established that perpetrators of sexual offences are often known to the child, being relatives, close family friends or neighbours. As such, schools should be seen as frontline institutions for responding to incidents of sexual violence and exploitation as they are sometimes the only place where a child could or would disclose such abuse.
The other troubling issues mentioned in the Caribbean Investigative Journalism Network article is the number of sexual offences cases which are not prosecuted in the court system. As a country we must do better than having 70% of sexual offence cases dropped before they reach the courts. Reasons for this very often have to do with delays in reporting, poor investigations, impunity for perpetrators of sexual offences to name a few. The relevant authorities must ensure that DNA testing is available in Guyana for identifying perpetrators of rape and sexual offences. This will greatly increase the likelihood of identifying perpetrators, making them accountable under the law for their crimes and reducing further sexual offences since many rapists are serial rapists. When will this become a reality and not just talk?
The Sexual Offences Act and its recent amendments have increased reporting of sexual offences, but this must go further and ensure that every citizen regardless of age knows of the provisions of SOA and their rights under this law. There must be a workable system in place to address countrywide sexual offences and this system must be staffed with trained persons, well publicized, efficient, well resourced, workable, accessible and uniform so that any child or adult has a clear pathway for reporting and receiving immediate assistance regardless of where they live or go to school.
Sincerely,
Danuta Radzik
