Rapists lurking on Facebook, Twitter
Published:Friday | May 20, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Anastasia Cunningham, Senior Gleaner Writer
Sex offenders are now using social networks to lure their victims, Facebook and Twitter being the most popular. Deputy Superintendent of Police Gloria Davis Simpson, head of the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA), said many cases coming before her and her colleagues involve women who meet the perpetrators via these social networks and later meet for a date at bars, clubs or parties.
"A lot of youngsters are now being lured to the Facebook page, making dates, and getting raped on these dates. The Twitter, the Facebook, whatever it is, and these are young, vulnerable girls and sometimes boys. What we have to do is ensure as parents and guardians, we try and protect them," added Ealan Powell, assistant commissioner of police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Branch.
Davis Simpson said there were also some other worrying trends related to carnal abuse and sexual offences over the first quarter of this year.
"We have found that since the start of the year, the most vulnerable age group is 11- to 15-year-olds, who have been the main victims in most of the sexual-offence cases islandwide," she said.
"There is an increase in buggery, especially of young boys. Age group six is on the radar, and they are often targeted by family members, including older boys and fathers. Incest has become a worrying trend. Also, in the case of carnal abuse, teenage boys are now targeting children 10 and younger."
Also on the increase are females walking alone, being dragged into bushes, old buildings or cars and raped. Females responding to advertisements in the daily newspapers are also among the victims.
Taxi operators were listed as the main perpetrators of rape, followed by bus drivers and conductors.
"Cases are also reported of female students being sexually assaulted in the bathrooms and classrooms at their school. Perpetrators gaining access to unlocked homes was also frequent and girls being lured into collecting items promised. A number of the offenders also live in the same yard as the victim," she said.
Gang rape an issue
Gang rape is also a problem, especially involving students at the secondary and tertiary level, and the crime is often carried out by friends of the victim.
Another trend highlighted was that men aged 30 to 40 were now targeting 13- and 15-year-old girls, while men 60 and older were targeting the 11 to 13 aged group.
For the period January to March this year, there were 188 rapes committed, compared with 179 for the corresponding period last year. There were 136 carnal-abuse cases, down from 182 from last year.
Kingston, St Andrew, St James, St Catherine, Westmoreland, Clarendon and St Thomas had the highest number of incidents.
Karl Angell, director of communications for the Jamaica Constabulary Force, said an aggressive public-education campaign was in effect in schools to outline precautionary measures for students to protect themselves.