The tides are constant and rough in Guyana. We are swallowed by them only to come up momentarily for air. The moments when we see the golden glow of a wholesome society are fleeting. Nefarious activities plague the society. A cycle of depravity kills the will and hope of the people. While it is evident that there is outrage perhaps it is too selective and inconstant for permanent changes.
We grapple with social ills such as violence, crime, poverty and mental health issues, but the worse are the crimes against our children. They are, because their ancestors were, and because we are. The future generations will be because of them. If the innocence of our children is shattered, if they are shaped by dysfunction and raised in despair, what will the future be?
Child sexual abuse is inconceivable for those not affected by the sickness of degeneracy. This crime against our children is too prevalent and under punished. The predators are bold because too often they are protected by relatives, their community and sadly even the authorities. Too often they are allowed to escape punishment and to reoffend. The soulless abusers and their enablers are unredeemable, and the echo of their iniquities bring death upon the land.
It is not only strangers who harm children. It is not only them who creep into what should be their safe spaces, but parents, stepparents, uncles, aunts, sisters, brothers, cousins and teachers are violating children in this country. A child’s home can be a prison, their school can be a snare, and the streets can be their executing chamber.
Three disturbing stories about the rape and molestation of children were recently brought to light. Four girls have battled the tides, but one will never surface to take a breath again.
Millie Miguel was 13 years old. It was reported that she died by suicide on February 3rd. There were allegations that the student of Bladen Hall Secondary had made complaints about being sexually abused by a relative. The shadows of relatives darkening the paths of children and contributing to their early demise should never occur. If the allegations are true, Miguel was not only failed by her relatives, but a society that should be the village that protects and keeps our children safe. She was left to drown – to never see the golden glow of the bright future she could have had.
It is not only that this young girl was reported to have died by suicide after allegations about sexual abuse, but days after she was buried her tomb was broken into and her corpse disturbed. Necrophilia is one of those ills beyond comprehension. It is a deeply violating act that not only violates the dignity of the deceased, but there are psychological implications for those who mourn. We would want to believe that it is only the mentally disturbed that can carry out such an act and perhaps it is so. Still even then, it is hard to comprehend. There should be an investigation into the allegations that were made about the sexual abuse of Miguel and the circumstances surrounding her death.
As Miguel’s tomb was repaired and her spirit hopefully comforted by hands beyond death, another story of child sexual abuse was reported. In the North West District, a stepfather was accused of raping and molesting his 12- and 9-year-old stepdaughters. The 12-year-old is said to be pregnant and currently in Georgetown. The man who was only held for 72 hours and then released on bail, is said to be roaming free and the mother of the children is frustrated. It is not only families that fail children, but the police and social services do not save or make sure there is justice for every hurt child. Child welfare and protection are the community’s responsibility. We expect the institutions that are in our society to address the ills affecting children would do their jobs with care and sincerity, but when rapists can roam free and get away with their crimes, the failures are blatant.
When a mother can trust a man to be in her children’s lives and then he violates her children, who can measure the weight of the guilt she carries? Marriages and relationships do not always last and often women take new partners, and they become an integral part of their children’s lives. The accused in this case would have known these children since they were babies, but instead of playing the role of a loving and protective father, he chose the path of destruction.
The mother said that the police claim that the file is with the Director of Public Prosecution. Charges in this country are swift for some, but others can walk freely with rape and murder as their crimes. The children deserve justice, and their mother deserves the chance to try and mend her broken heart even though it may never be fully healed because she loved and trusted someone who violated her children. A twelve-year-old will give birth to her rapist child. All children are innocent and deserve a chance at life, but how does a 12-year-old process raising her rapist child when she is a child herself? Hopefully she receives the help she needs and finds the golden glow of hope, but many have walked the path she is being made to walk and were left on their own.
The last story I will mention is one that occurred in Region 7. It was reported that a 25-year-old teacher raped one of his twelve-year-old students. She was lured to his dorm where he committed the act. Unfortunately, our children are not always free from predators even when they are sent to school. Some who join the teaching profession are degenerates. These are scary realities for parents and guardians. They abuse their trust and trigger trauma. Dahlerus Courtman, the teacher, was remanded to prison on the charge.
The exploitation and abuse of children is an unforgivable crime. No child should have to cower, endure or die because of the soulless ones in our society. They are too many. Every day children are violated in our country and nothing changes. Indigenous children are a group that suffer greatly, but this occurs in every group of people in this country. These children are often left to battle the rough tides alone and many cannot breathe even when they come up for air. Though many of these children are living, they stopped breathing the day they were harmed.
