The Tribune

WHILE there is little attention paid to the issue today, rape and sexual assault continue to plague this country. Reports of men preying on girls and elderly women are in the news more often than weekly, and these reports—along with the survivors—are quickly forgotten.

It must not be just another day, just another report, just another sad story, when we hear about people being raped. Men and boys continue to seek dominance, and continue their attempts to exercise power and control over women and girls and our bodies.

When we speak of women’s rights and the need for gender equality, it doesn’t take long for the sad, troubled men to start wringing their hands, complaining that men and boys are struggling and receiving too little attention. Unfortunately, the same people who pretend to be concerned about the direction of men and boys in the country fail to take action to prevent the actions that lead to news stories we see almost daily. They’re not engaging with men and boys in positive, effective ways. They’re not encouraging them to improve their grades in school, participate in extracurricular activities, express their feelings using their words, learn new skills, build strong friendships, and become active members of their communities.

Instead, they’re railing against the women’s rights advocates, as we put our attention on the people who suffer the consequences of hypermasculinity, harmful gender ideology, and dangerous socialization of men and boys who come to believe they ought to be in charge simply because they are men and boys. They also believe, when they are not in charge, that they must fight to prove their dominance. Instead of working with the people they view as victims, they complain about those of us who are using our resources to support survivors of gender-based violence and advocate for gender equality, and eradicating the harmful ideologies that are at the root of gender-based violence.

Here are seven stories from June 2026:

1. Twenty-three-year-old Jakyle Barry pled guilty to 11 counts of sexual assault, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He sexually assaulted a child on a family island, and the rape—being referred to in other terms despite the fact that no one under 16 can legally consent to sex—resulted in pregnancy. The Tribune reported, “Barry, then 19, began an illegal sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl on a family island in August 2021 after they were reportedly introduced by the complainant’s cousin. The offence took place at the complainant’s grandmother’s house, which the convict often visited.” The 13-year-old girl became pregnant.

In its report on Monday, The Tribune noted, “Justice McKay called the convict’s actions predatory and said he abused his access and familiarity with the complainant to take advantage of her at a tender age.”

2. Nineteen-year-old Tyrese Oliver and two 16-year-olds were “seen fleeing on foot towards Montell Heights” after they allegedly gang raped a 15-year-old girl. They were all attending an event, and they were known to the 15-year-old girl. They are out on bail of $7,500 each.

3. At five o’clock in the morning last week Wednesday, a 91-year-old woman was sexually assaulted by a family member.

4. Twenty-seven-year-old Tremolo Dean, a bus driver, is accused of “unlawful sexual intercourse”—which we ought to refer to as “rape”—with a 14-year-old girl on two occasions in 2024. Twenty-year-old Shaveney Taylor is accused of “unlawful sexual intercourse”—which we ought to refer to as “rape”—with a 13-year-old girl.

5. A 16-year-old girl was allegedly assaulted last week. The Tribune reported, “The alleged victim said she was taken to an area in Pinewood Gardens by a man known to her. He allegedly had sexual intercourse with her against her will.”

Men and boys are enacting violence against women and girls. They are not only targeting strangers. They are attacking their family members, friends, classmates, and other people they know. They are using familiarity, weaponizing it, and turning it into a vulnerability.

There was a time that it seemed smart to rely on family members and family friends to help keep us safe. Now, we have to question their intentions when they are around us. We have to look for signs that they may want to cause us harm.

Men and boys continue to take advantage of environmental and socioeconomic flaws. Lack of street lighting, bushy areas, lack of public transportation outside of daylight hours, need for childcare or people to regularly check on minors, and the need for money to meet basic needs can all be factors that enable sexual violence.

This is not new.

These are well-known facts. It may be news to some, however, that familiarity is no longer an automatic comfort. It’s now a vulnerability.

The onus must not be on women and girls to prevent rape. It must also not be on us to solve the problems of men and boys. We’re busy surviving. We’re busy supporting survivors. We study, we research, we theorize, we develop policies and programs, we implement programs, we respond to needs with services and resources, we make demands of the government, and we fill in the gaps.

We call on the men who see and talk about the issues with men and boys to do what is required for intervention and prevention of violence.

We call on the men to do the work they seem to expect of women’s rights advocates.

We call on the men who do not know how to do this work to seek the resources, participate in the trainings, and ask for help.

We do not accept the additional work they try to place on our shoulders.

The reports of sexual assault that make it to the news are barely a glimpse of what is actually taking place. Many reports never make it to the news. Many people never report rape and sexual assault. Looking only at the report over the past month, we can see the trends: Men in their 20s are targeting and raping girls and elderly women known to them. They are abusing familiarity. They are making it impossible for women and girls to trust any man. They are actively making the world a smaller place for every person they rape, every person they attempt to rape, and every person they scare with their violence. The men who are angry that they are experiencing the brunt of this fear and this distrust need to use that anger to work with their own. It’s not for women and girls to change men and boys.

The men have to do it.