Prosecution of child cases very slow – CCPA director

By Svetlana Marshall –

Out of a total 145 child abuse cases handed over to the police by the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA), only five persons have been charged. A lack of cooperation from victims coupled with difficulty in finding some of the suspects have contributed to the remaining 140 reports being outstanding.
Reports emanating from the CCPA indicate that from a total of 1039 cases of child abuse, 137 are sexual abuse cases with 120 girls being victims. Human Services Minister Jenifer Webster had disclosed that 69 boys were physically abused, 195 neglected and 12 witnessed instances of abuse while 72 girls were physically abused, 30 verbally abused, 211 neglected, 18 abandoned and 15 witnessed abuse.
During an exclusive interview with Guyana Times International, CCPA Director Ann Greene said from 1039 cases reported; 145 were handed over to the police, but only five of those cases have been prosecuted.
She explained that the majority of the cases handed down to the Guyana Police Force were sexual in nature while a few included physical and verbal abuses based on the severity of the matter.
Asked why only five persons have been charged, from a total of 145 cases being investigated by the police, Greene said there are several factors hindering the process.
Instructed silence
While the cases have been indentified, Greene said some of the perpetrators are yet to be identified by the victims and other family members while some perpetrators cannot be found, thereby stalling the process. “Lack of cooperation is a major problem,” she lamented.
Victims of abuse, in particular victims of sexual abuse do not speak for several reasons, she added. It was pointed out that some children do not speak out because some of them are threatened by the perpetrators and rejected by their parents, relatives or loved ones. In other cases, “children are taught to obey parents or adults, the abusers’ strategies to bribe the children may also serve to silence them and sometimes the abusive experience may be all the children receive to respond to their need to be held and cuddled.”
Critical information
For years, the CCPA has been grappling with this situation where victims, parents or relatives are withholding critical information which can result in perpetrators being placed behind bars.
In addition to sexual abuse, the issues of verbal and physical abuse, neglect and abandonment continue to capture the attention of the protection agency.
Greene said unlike sexual abuse and severe cases of physical abuse, the agency is working with persons who may have physically and verbally abused children or have neglected or abandoned them in one way or the other.
Through counselling, the protection agency is trying to assist parents in finding alternative ways to punish their children without using corporal punishment, which can lead to injuries. “There is still the culture of beating children and it will take some time before we can get parents to stop, but we are working with them by promoting discipline without beating.”
The director alluded to the “time out” mechanism, whether children are banned from participating in recreational activities they enjoy, such as watching television or playing games.
This method, Greene said, has proven to be successful not only in Guyana, but in other parts of the world.