BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AT a UNICEF Conference last month in Barbados, the raw results of a study on child sexual abuse (CSA) in six OECS countries were released.

The purpose of the research was to shed light on attitudes, perceptions and opinions about CSA within the region. St. Kitts and Nevis was a participant, and though there is no country-specific information, one can assume that many of the findings are relevant to the Federation.

But before examining the report, it’s important to first assess our situation. 

Locally, CSA is a recognised problem; however, it’s an issue that draws less public awareness than others such as crime and violence. It often takes a particularly gruesome case to raise public consciousness, such as the rape of a seven-year-old in Old Road earlier this year.

Reported CSA cases weighed in at 11 in 2006 and ballooned to 27 in 2007. Although last year’s cases totalled only nine, statistics for January to March this year show that seven cases have already been reported, almost equalling last year’s figure.

Though the numbers may at first seem unimpressive, one has to consider the nature of these offences. Sexual abuse crimes are notoriously underreported, all the more so when children are involved, and it’s a safe bet the local statistics are understated. 

In fact, Maurice Williams, Director of Child Protection Services and a delegate at the conference, estimated the true figure is more than double those reported. 

“The problem with underreporting is that the public has lost confidence in those systems established to deal with child abuse. People turn off and decide since nothing is going to come of their grievance, they won’t report it,” he said.

Another problem occurs when the few reported cases are criminally investigated. Many never reach prosecution due to insufficient evidence, and disgustingly, some are withdrawn because the victim’s guardian accepts money from the perpetrator to keep silent.
Current legislation does not address this flaw. A quick perusal of the Criminal Law Amendment Act revealed that the law is outdated in other ways as well. For example, the offence of unlawful carnal knowledge can only be inflicted on women, while the definition of rape is still very basic and simplistic.

Child sexual abuse is clearly a pressing issue, and given the highly sexualised nature of many Caribbean islands, it’s likely they aren’t immune to this problem. Although we all recognise the gravity of the situation and have undertaken preventative measures, it still continues to frustrate us.

The study gives some insight. More than three-quarters of the 1 400 respondents viewed child sexual abuse as being widely unacceptable. They named several factors they saw as contributing to its perpetuation, ranging from sexually aggressive males to collusive officials and ineffective systems.

Another reason identified was the different perceptions of childhood, and with it came startling implications. Even though most respondents thought reaching the age of 16 was sufficient to be considered an adult, a significant number (20 percent) believed that by simply reaching puberty, a girl becomes a woman. 

“Therein lies the problem,” said lead researcher Dr. Adele Jones. “To most of us, a 13-year-old is still a child, but if a man is having sex with a girl that age and considers her to be a woman, he doesn’t think he’s doing anything wrong.”

The study also revealed that the majority of CSA incidences occur within the home, which raised discussion concerning the role of mothers in preventing child sexual abuse. 

While persons placed more responsibility on the perpetrators, they felt that mothers who refused to believe their children when they opened up about abuse were effectively condoning it. Anger was also directed towards women who allowed men to sleep with their daughters in order to supplement household funds.

Surprisingly, poverty in itself was not considered a factor, as was the notion that abused persons eventually become abusers. According to Jones, this is because there are poor families that manage to protect children from abuse; and while a significant number of abuse victims do go on to continue the cycle, an equally significant number are able to break it.

According to Williams, most, if not all the aforementioned factors are present in the Federation.

However, the Director noted our two major sustaining factors are complicit parents and ineffective systems. Calling CSA “one of our best kept secrets”, Williams said those two circumstances had resulted in perpetrators gaining a sense of invincibility.

“Many parents exercise the option of discontinuing a case once it is brought to the attention of the authorities, and very often, it’s because they were paid off by the perpetrators to keep silent. Additionally, there are deficiencies in the agencies established to handle child issues such as child protection, law enforcement and the judicial system. All these combine to give perpetrators the feeling they won’t get caught or that charges against them will be dropped.”

He stressed that a strong signal of intolerance needed to be sent to perpetrators.

“We need to send a clear message to the perpetrators that sexual exploitation and molestation of children will not be tolerated. We can send it by ensuring mechanisms are in place for accurate reporting and adherence to the necessary protocols. 

“But besides that, more needs to be done by law enforcement.  Parents should not have the option of discontinuing their child’s abuse cases. Once a case is reported, officials must ensure it is prosecuted. The state has the responsibility of ensuring there is recourse for the victim, because when it comes to crimes of this nature, private hurt becomes public harm.”