Only one person attended three public awareness meetings organised by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Region Ten, despite the office receiving 75 police files involving alleged sexual offences from the region over the last two years.
In a statement, the DPP’s Chambers said the meetings were arranged because of the high number of sexual-offence files sent to the office for legal advice.
The sessions were scheduled for the MacKenzie Primary School and the Wisroc Multi-Purpose Building on August 13 and at Rockstone on August 14. They were organised following consultations with the Regional Chairman, Regional Executive Officer and the Toshao of Rockstone and advertised on the National Communications Network’s radio and Linden television stations.
However, the DPP’s Chambers said only one woman attended the Wisroc meeting. She reportedly did so because her granddaughter had been raped by a family member. No one attended either of the other meetings.
The office described the response as a seeming lack of interest but said it would continue its public education work on criminal law and the justice system.
According to the statement, between August 2024 and August 11 this year, the office received and provided legal advice on 11 rape files and 25 files involving the rape of children under 16.
It also advised on 18 files involving sexual activity with children under 16, 17 involving sexual activity with a child by a family member and two alleging sexual assault.
One file each concerned indecent assault and causing a child under 16 to watch a sexual act.
Meanwhile, approximately 80 girls between the ages of 14 and 17 participated in a two-day “Girl Stand Up” conference at Watooka House, Linden, which began on August 12.
Addressing the opening by Zoom, DPP Shalimar Ali-Hack SC discussed rape, sexual activity with a child and offences involving family members or persons in positions of trust.
She warned that many sexual offences were committed in homes by relatives, close family members or other trusted persons.
Ali-Hack urged the girls to report any sexual violation to the police or first inform a trusted adult, such as a parent, grandmother, aunt, sister or teacher.
“Regardless who it is, report the incident to your mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, teacher…if they don’t take you to the police, then you go to the police station yourself,” she said.
The DPP told the participants that sexual contact with a child was a criminal offence regardless of whether it occurred at home, school, church or elsewhere.
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