EDITORIAL - Turn spotlight on sexual violence

There is more profoundly distressing news emerging from places of state care where sexual violence appears to be a part of everyday living.

In Trelawny, a ward of the State was buried in a shallow grave after she and another teenager escaped from the facility and met up with men in the area; and in St Mary, a 69-year-old resident of the infirmary was raped on the compound.

After each scandal, there is usually outrage, often followed by an enquiry, which may result in a set of recommendations to improve conditions. Months later, we are back at square one. Soon, deeper cracks will appear in the system as there are other outrageous incidents which will trigger more condemnation and promises to repair the breach.

The St Mary case has sparked alarm for three reasons: the act took place at an infirmary where an elderly resident ought to be protected against predators; and second, the incident was not reported for days.

Even though it has been suggested that the perpetrator could have gained access to the compound through a breach in the fence, the matter was not brought to the attention of the police, so that at least additional patrols could be undertaken. For such abuse to happen, it is very likely that supervision and monitoring mechanisms are very weak.

So was the silence part of a grand design to cover up the incident? The parish council has a duty of care to ensure that people who work in these infirmaries take their jobs seriously, and they ought to be considered negligent and dealt with appropriately if they do not meet the standards of care required.

sickening violence

Why were the responsible persons at the St Mary Infirmary so tardy in reporting the crime? Is it that we have come to accept that rape is inevitable, so the act no longer provokes outrage? This leads us to ask whether there are other cases of sexual abuse that have gone undetected or unreported. Rape is a stigmatised issue that needs to be aired publicly in as many fora as possible, for it is essentially not about sex, but more about power and the sickening violence that has gripped our country for so long.

Our society needs to wake up to the fact that there is a serious problem of sexual violence against young children, including babies, and frail, elderly women. And those in state institutions are the most vulnerable with the least familial support. The Ministry of Health must urgently develop a framework to guide new health-sector policies to respond in a meaningful way to these victims of sexual violence.

Let the subject of sexual violence no longer be treated as a taboo subject by raising awareness about its effects and impact on the vulnerable. More resources should be dedicated to establishing preventive measures, and appropriate protective, medical, psychosocial and legal responses should be organised for the benefit of persons living in state care.

The response to this traumatic experience of sexual violence at state institutions needs to include a range of activities - from better surveillance and sustainable improvements in infrastructure to top-notch rehabilitation. Even with limited resources, with a little imagination, there can be significant improvement to the services that are being delivered at these institutions.

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