Speak Out St. Lucia (S.O.S.) is saddened by reports of the rape of a 12-year-old girl who has now been discovered to be three months pregnant.
Yet again we are confronted with another case of rape in Saint Lucia which has shaken our island to the core. We can no longer be timid in dealing with these acts of rape and sexual abuse perpetrated on the women and children in Saint Lucia.
Although ordinary citizens continue to be vocal and outraged about these horrific crimes, there continues to be an almost deafening silence from our elected representatives. We find other leaders in our society practically voiceless when our people need some direction and conclusive action to combat this scourge which we all agree is of epidemic proportions.
Our politicians harp and trade accusations on a daily basis about IMPACS, C.I.P., VAT, and other important issues, yet we fail to witness the same priority and zeal in attacking rape and sexual abuse in Saint Lucia. The neglect of our people, the human resource, will result in even greater problems into the future.
In June 2016, the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP), on page 44 of their elections manifesto, pledged to implement a Sex Offender Registry and to tackle sexual assault and rape. This was a clear indication that the SLP recognized the critical nature of these crimes and how they have affected our island for decades. Although being the Opposition in the House of Parliament, its elected members, representatives of the people, continue to be mum about these rapes which have shocked the nation.
Where is the government’s resolve to handle this crisis? We continue to hear the same platitudes and intentions to implement measures, yet the outrage of the people does not seem to be mirrored by the actions of our representatives from both sides of the aisle. We must have a concerted joint effort, government and opposition, as these crimes are not perpetrated based on political affiliation.
This epidemic has reached a point where decisive action must be taken! Speak Out St. Lucia continues to call for a national strategy in combating this epidemic of rape and sexual abuse.
S.O.S. urges all Saint Lucians to call their elected Member of Parliament and demand action. S.O.S. continues to be alarmed by the long-term problems which will challenge Saint Lucia well into the future caused by the psychological, familial, health, crime, and cost of services needed to deal with the repercussions of a broken society.