Child sexual abuse is not just a story we see involving a child and a perpetrator who live in a far way country. Victims and perpetrators aren’t so conveniently anonymous. The truth is they are much closer to home and this reality has many local organisations calling for stiffer penalties for sexual offenders.
According to the latest statistics released by the Department of Social Services, Children and Family Division, between January to June of 2006 there were 49 reported cases of sexual abuse of children, compared to the 41 cases last year. This represents a 19.5 per cent increase.
The 2005 figures relating to the different forms of abuse of children, from January to December show that there were 163 reported cases of physical abuse, 64 cases of sexual abuse, 43 cases of incest, 203 cases of neglect and eight cases of verbal abuse.
Still, the recent alleged rape of a 6-year-old girl has sparked a public outcry. On Monday thirty-two-year-old Andrew Bridgewater was charged in a magistrate’s court with raping the primary school student who was found in an abandoned car late last week.
This latest incident has many organisations insisting that the government must do more to address sexual offences. The Guardian was unable to determine whether the case of the six-year-old was the youngest rape victim on record; however, reported cases that become public are relatively rare, especially in recent years.
“It isn’t like the legislators aren’t aware that the record numbers of various cases of child abuse are continuing to escalate,” said Clever Duncombe, president of Bahamian Fathers for Children Everywhere. “But despite our greatest efforts ﾖ our group has been advocating now for the past four years ﾖ sad to say we have nothing to show for it.
“We definitely need to review the penalty method because the penalties are too lenient,” he continued. “But if the problem were to come home personally to me ﾖ I have a 9-year-old daughter ﾖ no punishment would be able to fit the crime. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look towards implementing these penalties.”
Mr Duncombe added that society itself must no longer turn a blind eye to crimes of a sexual nature.
“There is no more room in society for this type of deviant behaviour,” he said. “I think we are booked out in that department and it is time now for civil society to demonstrate that we are booked out. It’s time now to start petitioning to our various area representatives and those who want to be representatives to state their position on these issues that confront us on a daily basis.”
According to The Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act, 1991: “Any person who attempts to have unlawful sexual intercourse with any person under fourteen years of age, whether with or without the consent of the person with whom he attempted to have unlawful sexual intercourse, is guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for fourteen years.”
An adult having sexual intercourse with a child between 14 and 16 years would be subject to a minimum prison term of eight years.
However, Bahamian Fathers for Children Everywhere is not the only group advocating that adjustments to be made to legislation governing sexual crimes.
In a recent press conference the Bahamas Democratic Movement (BDM) called for the government to put in place a registration system to monitor sexual offenders.
Cassius Stuart, leader of the BDM, insisted Perry Christie’s administration must take immediate action against those convicted of committing sex crimes.
“The BDM is demanding that we put in place a programme to track sexual offenders,” he continued. “The Sex Offender Registration Act should be tabled before the end of this Parliamentary Session which will require all sexual predators be registered before they are released from prison. A sexual offenders division needs to be established within the Ministry of Social Services. The division will be required to maintain a file of individuals who have committed sexual crimes.”
By: JASMIN BONIMY, The Nassau Guardian
