The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has urged the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to take control of a recent case where a young woman was allegedly raped at Mahdia. But the entity is yet to comment on the allegations surrounding the sexual molestation of a 12-year-old boy Johnny Welshman by Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman, a former Alliance For Change (AFC) Executive Member and former Presidential Candidate. Crime Chief Leslie James, speaking with Guyana Times on Saturday, confirmed that the buggery allegations made by Welshman against Trotman are being investigated by a team of officers.He said that the Police have already contacted Trotman to obtain a statement with the aim of completing the preliminary round of investigations.

James however could not say how long the investigation would take before any decision is made whether or not to charge Trotman. His comments come at a time when there is growing public outrage and unease following Welshman’s decision to go public about the sexual molestation he allegedly endured while he was a boy reportedly at the hands of Trotman. The GHRA said that Police action on Mahdia rape case must also extend to an investigation by the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) into the alleged unprofessional behaviour of the ranks in Mahdia. “The GHRA will be providing the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the OPR with statements supporting the allegations made in respect of this case and will continue to monitor developments,” the body said in a statement. In its statement titled, “Justice hard to find for survivors of sexual assaults”, the GHRA said information emerging about the brutal gang rape of a young Amerindian hotel worker in Mahdia two weekends ago underlines how unresponsive the medical and legal systems remain to survivors of sexual assault.

The body said although the victim was carried unconscious into the hospital by a co-worker, with extensive bites and bruising about her body, she was examined only for physical assault because no rape kit was available. No anti-HIV prophylactic was administered, nor was the victim provided with the sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) preventative medicine normally prescribed in cases of sexual assault.

Rape kits

According to the GHRA, as part of the reforms ushered in by the Sexual Offences Act (2010), rape kits were introduced into medical examinations of persons alleging sexual violence. The sealed kit is supposed to be made available by the hospital when the Police bring the victim and it is to be opened in the presence of the Police officer. Each kit contains a step-by-step guideline for procedures the examining medical officer should take. Separate bags are provided for the victim’s underwear, and other clothing, and a series of other packets for smears, samples and other forensic evidence.

All are sealed, placed back in the kit and a document signed by the Police officer and the attending physician. The kit is then sent for forensic examination as part of the process of building a charge against suspects. The GHRA said while the absence of a rape kit should not preclude medical personnel performing a thorough examination of the victim, it understands that the kit’s absence was used as the reason for not examining the victim for sexual assault in Mahdia, which is astonishing. Further, the GHRA said investigations revealed that most interior hospitals do not have rape kits. It notes that the Georgetown Public Hospital appears to be the only location where the use of rape kits is integrated into the response to complaints of sexual violence.

Similarly, the GHRA observed that A Division (Georgetown) appears to have the only effective Sexual Offences Unit, which is located at the Brickdam Police Station. This Unit works principally with child protection agencies and rape kits are used in medical examinations. In addition to poor medical care in Mahdia towards the victim, the GHRA said, the behaviour of the Police rank was “callous and unprofessional”. The body said the rank’s alleged refusal to include in the statement allegations of sodomy flatly violates the rule for taking statements. Such lack of confidence in the GPF was aggravated in this case by the obvious familiarity between the hotel personnel who were seen in the station precincts and the Police ranks responsible for the case.

The state of unpreparedness by both the health and Police authorities raises serious questions, the GHRA stated.

source: http://wwww.newguymedia.com