The Tribune

By Malcolm Strachan

SOMETIMES the most horrific thing about some of the news stories we see day in, day out is the lack of outrage about them.

Last week, there was a story about an alleged gang rape of a 14-year-old girl. Two men and one boy were charged, another was charged later, while police were reported to be hunting for others.

Thankfully, this is before a court of law and those accused – if guilty – can be held responsible. But the lack of outcry was telling. Have we become so accustomed to sex crimes against women and children that we are no longer horrified?

When I think of some of the things the Christian Council has chosen to speak out about in the past, it is remarkable that it regularly fails to speak out on issues such as these.

When a forum was held at the University of The Bahamas by Pride Bahamas, the Christian Council sought to block that. It has weighed in on marijuana and gaming. It stayed silent this week.

I do not wish to solely criticise the council, however, plenty of people remain silent in the face of some of the horrific cases that happen all too regularly. The Minister of Social Services, Myles LaRoda, under whose remit falls the creation of shelters to offer some form of sanctuary from domestic violence, often appears to have taken a vow of silence on the subject, and certainly shows no inclination towards sharing information with the public on the progress of such protection.

His counterpart, FNM Senator Maxine Seymour, did speak up. Rightly, as this case is still under way, it is the broader picture that needs to be focused on – and as she said, “beyond the courtroom, we must confront the cultural and systemic issues that perpetuate abuse and undermine the safety of our children”.

She added: “The protection of our children is not optional; it is a sacred duty.

“There can be no compromise, no excuse, and no turning away. We must unite and fight relentlessly to safeguard our most treasured assets. The future of our country depends on it.”

All of that is true – and yet all of it is also false. It is correct that this is our duty – but it is also true that it is a duty that we too often ignore. She is right that this is how it should be, but the reality is that neglect and abuse and violence is all too common in our country.

In another story last week, Khandi Gibson, the founder of Families of All Murder Victims (FOAM), talked of a mother of four children trying desperately to get help, who felt driven to the point of no return, considering suicide.

Tellingly, Ms Gibson told The Tribune, the woman said: “Miss I try everybody, but nobody will help me.”

Nobody. That too often is the reality in our country.

Meanwhile, Mr Laroda, called on to give answers about the status of shelters being built by the country, chooses to get into sulky sparring matches with Mrs Seymour rather than delivering details on cost, capacity, construction deadlines and details on access.

When it comes specifically to children, helping them is just simply for starters the right thing to do. We should not need more than that – but if we did, then we also ought to recognise that stopping children from being exposed to violence, either as victims or witnesses, is a way to end the cycle of violence that our country continues to see and which is reflected in the cases of sex attacks in our courts and murders on our streets.

The World Health Organization (WHO) monitors such activities globally – it is not just us. Beyond the immediate impact of any given crime – the deaths, the injuries, the unintended pregnancies, the spread of sexually transmitted infections – there is a broader impact too.

The WHO warns at a societal level of the danger of creating a climate in which violence is normalised. It points out the broken bonds between children and parents. It highlights the family dysfunction and separation.

But the WHO also points out that violence against children can be prevented. Its seven-step plan calls for enforcement of laws (such as banning corporal punishment and restricting access to alcohol), pushing to change values that condone sexual abuse or aggressive behaviour by boys, working to create safe environments, supporting parents, improving people’s income, providing proper response services such as emergency care and psychological support, and providing education.

A couple of those stand out as being different from the rest – improving income and providing education. Violence and abuse is by no means limited to people who live in poverty or who have less access to education – but each of those can magnify the risk. Living in poverty is an extra stress – it is no excuse but people on the brink can sometimes be pushed too far. As for education, as simple as it may sound, people sometimes need to learn that something is wrong.

If you are in that situation, every day, it seems normal if one member of the family constantly strikes another. It can be a revelation to victims, and a first step towards safety and justice, that such behaviour is not normal, and that it is criminal.

On a personal level, I have known of a case where a young girl confessed to a friend that a family member was touching her in ways that made her uncomfortable. This came about because of discussions in school about what was appropriate – and what was not appropriate. Education can be key to making victims realise that this is not right.

One of the saddest things is that the case I mentioned at the start of this article – and of course the innocence or guilt of those accused needs to be determined – may have me wondering where is the outrage, but almost any other week it seems there are other horrific cases that could have prompted the same call.

Too often we hear stories of sex assaults, rapes of underage victims, incest and more.

Fundamentally as a nation, we need to reject any thought that this is normal. It is not. The vile human beings that commit these crimes are hurting our women, they are hurting our children, they are hurting our country. The victims in these crimes should not be the only ones crying out “No!”