Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
WITH the “horrendous” escalation of sexual assaults against women, the country is fast on its way to developing into a rape culture, Bahamas Crisis Centre director Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson warned.
Noting that rape is considered the second most serious crime after murder, Dr Patterson said authorities should seriously focus on combating the issue of sexual assault and heinous crimes against children.
The truth about the rate of rapes in the Bahamas was questioned last week when this newspaper revealed that while official Royal Bahamas Police Force statistics reported 104 cases, Princess Margaret Hospital records said in actuality there were 147.
“It is unacceptable,” she said, “the number of children and women who cannot live normal lives in our society because of the rate of sexual crimes against them. We have to be concerned about this and the steps we are taking to do something about it.
“Children should be able to walk on the street and not worry about being pulled into cars, women should be able to go out at night and not worry about sexual assault.
“We have to put a stop to this because it is an horrendous problem in this country that has us headed well on the way to developing a culture of rape.”
Dr Dean-Patterson further explained how it was possible that PMH’s statistics when compared to the RBPF’s information does not agree.
The police, she said, differentiates the rape of persons by victims under 16 as unlawful sexual intercourse. Those above 16 are categorised as victims of rape. Dr Patterson said the latter is most likely reflected in the RBPF’s 2013 statistics.
On Wednesday the differing figures led FNM Deputy leader Loretta Butler-Turner to take authorities to task over the veracity of the numbers and whether officials were forthcoming about the safety of women in the country.
“We are seeing a differential here of 43 and the numbers presented are not reflecting cases seen at Doctors Hospital or The Rand Memorial in Grand Bahama,” said Mrs. Butler-Turner.
“Clearly there is a huge discrepancy with what the police are publishing. I don’t want to come out and say they are fudging the stats, but the actuality is that the police are not being upfront with the public on crime.”
Generally, Mrs Butler-Turner said, police have been tight-lipped on rape cases. However, she urged officials to keep the public, especially women, informed of the true picture of crimes against them.
However, Dr Patterson cautioned authorities that with close knit communities, keeping intact the confidentiality of rape victims must be most important.
“Women who are raped are not always looked upon as a victim and it is sad. Until we can do something different about rapes and all the negative things that go through persons’ heads there isn’t much that can be done in terms of warnings to the public.
“It’s hard when you are weighing up the need and right for people to know but the right of the victim is to have their confidentiality. We have to be very careful with that,” Dr Dean-Patterson said.
Comments
Honestman 10 years, 2 months ago
The way men treat women says a lot about a people. The increase in rape is further evidence of the degeneration of Bahamian society. It is totally unacceptable and the under - reporting of these cases is an outrage.
TheObjectiveVoice 10 years, 2 months ago
The problem is that we keep putting the rapists away for several years behind prison bars with other demons...there is no rehabilitation and these guys come out worse than before - only to rape our children again. Sometimes it escalates to murder. Rapists and child molesters should be put away for life. I'm telling you if anybody touch my kids, Imma have to kill somebodyyyy. Someone will thank me for it later. Either, hang these bastards, castrate them or put them away for life. The system sends them to prison for a few years and they only itchin to rape somebody again when they get out. They lookin' for a death wishhhhhh. I can't trust the system to protect my kids. I am sure if a real investigation is done, you will see that out of those rapes one person committed five to six of them. Then check his record, you will see he probably served time in 1995 or some where around that time... Come out in 2014. Lock them nasty dogs up and throw away the key and let's perform some chemical castration ( legally). Amend the law... Let rapists and child predators stay in prison for life where they can rape each other all day. Not our kids...
TheObjectiveVoice 10 years, 2 months ago
I don't want to be better than the alleged rapist Rory. I want justice. I'll sleep good after I'm done. And you know I'm just talkin'. I'll feel like killing 'em but I am not a murderer. Definitely, not a pedophile, definitely not a defender of rapists and pedophiles. Point is, all of those young women, young boys and girls who have suffered such depravity at the hands of these monsters, deserve such justice. Let the law kill 'em. Let them go to prison and get saved...find the Lord but they don't need to come back out here to be tempted. I say lock them up for life. I had a sister who was raped at the age of ten. They caught the fella when she was about 24 after he had killed somebody. I am telling you this day that if my mother had caught him first, or any of my ten uncles, that would have been the end of him. Then they would have called the police. I don't care what you say to me...what you call me ...how you feel about me. I UNEQUIVOCALLY will not defend or put my name behind that of a rapist, child molester, sexual deviant. NOT MY NAME OR ALIAS....I will not be fighting for their rights. That's what their lawyers are there for. As far as I am concerned, they can all go to hell and burn down to soot.
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 2 months ago
The police, she said, differentiates the rape of persons by victims under 16 as unlawful sexual intercourse. Those above 16 are categorised as victims of rape. Dr Patterson said the latter is most likely reflected in the RBPF’s 2013 statistics
I get the point but I don't buy the argument. If this were the case, was the rape of children under 16 reported in the crime statistics? It would seem to be an even more heinous crime if you were forced to rate bad vs worse. I thought this was referred to as statutory rape...wasn't Randy Fraser convicted of statutory rape? Then all the God fearing women in the church voted him back as pastor?
In any event she is more than correct. The pervasiveness of cases of women being beaten, the wide spread acceptance of adultery, straight down to giving it a pretty name, "sweethearting", is down right scary in this little country. We have elected leaders, ELECTED LEADERS, accused of these crimes, it is downright shameful. To think that women vote for them is mind boggling.
TheObjectiveVoice 10 years, 2 months ago
I don't want to be better than the alleged rapist Rory. I want justice. I'll sleep good after I'm done. And you know I'm just talkin'. I'll feel like killing 'em but I am not a murderer. Definitely, not a pedophile, definitely not a defender of rapists and pedophiles. Point is, all of those young women, young boys and girls who have suffered such depravity at the hands of these monsters, deserve such justice. Let the law kill 'em. Let them go to prison and get saved...find the Lord but they don't need to come back out here to be tempted. I say lock them up for life. I had a sister who was raped at the age of ten. They caught the fella when she was about 24 after he had killed somebody. I am telling you this day that if my mother had caught him first, or any of my ten uncles, that would have been the end of him. Then they would have called the police. I don't care what you say to me...what you call me ...how you feel about me. I UNEQUIVOCALLY will not defend or put my name behind that of a rapist, child molester, sexual deviant. NOT MY NAME OR ALIAS....I will not be fighting for their rights. That's what their lawyers are there for. As far as I am concerned, they can all go to hell and burn down to soot.
concernedcitizen 10 years, 2 months ago
We live in a society where we voted en mass to keep women second class citizens ..Mothers spoil the crap out of boys ,even running to put their house up to keep the anti social deviants out of prison ,and hardly pay attention to the girls until they produce grans ,,Lets not even talk about the daddies ,step daddies ,etc that think its their right to "break the girls in ",,What do we expect but a rapidly failing society ,,,We have ass backward mores and values and we beat the snot out of kids producing ever more violent adults ,,
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