Perverts and Pedophiles in the Carribbean

Adventist elder detained for alleged child sex abuse

Pastor Everett Brown, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church condemned child sex abusers

PRESIDENT of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica, Pastor Everett Brown, yesterday warned that his church will not protect anyone who has broken the law, following a report that one of his church elders was arrested for questioning in relation to the sexual assault of a minor.

The elder, who attends a St Mary church (???), was arrested on Wednesday night by the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse after a report was made.

“While we await the outcome of the investigations, we admonish our workers and members to live up to the high moral and ethical code of conduct for which our church is known and to cooperate with the authorities in bringing to justice those who have violated the laws of the land,” the Adventist president said in a release.

Pastor Brown also condemned unlawful sex acts against children, adding that the church sympathised with the victims and their families who have been traumatised by abuse of any kind.

“The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica is committed to upholding its high Christians values and will not shelter any worker or member who runs afoul of the law,” Brown said.

The report comes amid the sex scandal rocking the Moravian church, of which three senior members are now before the court for the alleged sexual abuse of under-age girls.

Teachers suspended as 19 sex abuse cases probed

BY: DARLISA GHOURALAL, Loop, Trinidad & Tobago

Nineteen teacher/student sexual abuse cases are currently being investigated by the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), while the teachers involved have been placed on suspension pending the outcome of the probes.

The cases range from sexual touching to sexting, hugging and sexual intercourse with students.

This was revealed during a meeting of the Joint Select Committee on Human Rights, Equality and Diversity, as the Committee sought to examine the systems in place to protect children from abuse. Officials from the Education Ministry, the Police Service, the Children's Authority and the Child Welfare League appeared before the Committee.

Responding to questions posed by Committee member Randall Mitchell, Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan (seen right) indicated that a total of 117 cases are before the TSC.

The disciplinary process currently utilised to deal with “errant” teachers involves an initial investigation, after which the matter is brought before the Commission for review.

The Chief Education Officer explained that any incident considered misconduct within schools, which do not necessarily involve teacher/student relations are subject to the same procedure.

Maracas Bay, Trinidad

Where sexual misconduct is concerned, if it is believed that a student’s safety may be compromised, through an arrangement between the Ministry and the TSC a report is sent in the space of 24 hours which may result in a cease-reporting issue from the Commission, pending its determination.

“In instances where we can't determine that we can't wait 24 hours, those teachers are asked to report to the district so we take them out immediately from the system. There is a clearly defined disciplinary process and that doesn't prevent or exclude if it's a criminal matter that the police do their own investigation and they go through the process.”

Responding to a question from Committee Chairman Nyan Gadsby-Dolly on the legislative capacity to protect children from abuse, particularly where the Romeo Clause is concerned, Guidance Officer II Darlene Smith indicated that sexual experimentation and curiosity is an issue school officials are dealing with from as early as infant classes.

Porn contributing greatly to child on child sex assaults

“Children have access and more exposure to a lot of sexual activities and pornography. Even via the cellphones that we casually hand a three-year-old or four-year-old to play with and use and you click a button…and you see the porn."

So, what we have seen several times is that children even in the infant classes can experiment, and when we do go in and investigate…some parents still allow five-year-olds/six year-olds to sleep…in their (the parents) beds. When you think they are sleeping, they are not.”

Smith said these children sometimes walk in on relatives looking at pornography at night and go to school the following day and act out what they have witnessed.

Continuous exposure to pornographic material is rousing curiosity, causing children to perform sexual acts on other children.

The Romeo Clause helps to protect these children as they are considered innocent in their actions.

Smith said, however, that officials need to be vigilant to ensure that the legislation is not being misused “under the cover of that protection”.

SRP Inspector with the Child Protection Unit Beverly Paul indicated that where it is determined that a child has been coerced, exploited or sexually groomed by another child or relative, there are grounds for prosecution.

She acknowledged however, that there may be those using the Clause as a loophole to escape prosecution.

A number of conditions have to be satisfied in order for the parties involved to be protected by the Romeo Clause: the proximity of age (two to three year gap), must not be a familial relation, must not be of the same sex, and no evidence of exploitation, coercion, grooming or manipulation in that relationship.

Christalle Gemon, Deputy Director – Care, Legal and Regulatory Services at the Children’s Authority confirmed that the Clause does not debar a 12-year-old (the age of criminal responsibility regarding sex crimes) from being prosecuted where it is determined that they have used coercion to carry out a sexual crime.

Inter-generational child sex abuse

She noted that the Authority has dealt with cases where children fall under the parameters of the Romeo Clause and have perpetrated a sex crime against another child but investigations reveal that the perpetrator is a victim of sexual abuse.

Acknowledging the need for increased detection of sexual crimes against children within schools, Chief Education Officer noted that there has been increased reporting following a mandate set out by the Education Ministry.

He said however, that in order to treat all cases as priority and provide accurate data on the number of cases of child sexual abuse, some staffing issues need to be addressed.

“In terms of whether we need to direct people in the various fields of study, I think it’s twofold. One (issue) is…given the size of the institution and the number of persons, our HR department deals with more than 10,000 teachers.

In Student Support Services alone, we have 500 persons, a number of them are on contract. We have in schools IT technicians who are contract. We have business operations assistants who are in contract positions.

Part of the challenge we have experienced…is that whole recruitment filling of vacancies of vacancies process.”

“There are positions on the establishment, positions that we have available that sometimes takes an inordinate amount of time to fill. That’s one of the areas that we are attempting to address.”

“If we can get all of the positions that are available filled first…if we can have that system working properly, then it puts us in a good footing for the next step, where we can then make a proper analysis in terms of how much more we need.” 

Man in custody after being found with minor

BY: DAREECE POLO 

A 27-year-old man is now in police custody at the Sangre Grande Police Station, Trinidad, after he was caught in an abandoned house with a 13-year-old girl in Rio Claro on Wednesday.

According to police reports, around 11:30 am, officers received an anonymous tip from residents of Circular Road that a girl dressed in a school uniform, was seen entering the house with an adult.

Eastern Division Task Force officers responded and apprehended the suspect.

The teenaged girl was taken to the Sangre Grande Hospital where she was medically examined.

The Children’s Authority is continuing investigations. 

Retraumatising Childhood Sex Abuse Survivors

Michael Abrahams, Jamaica Gleaner

The Moravian Church sex scandal has escalated a national conversation on the sexual abuse of children. The story reads like a sordid soap opera, with allegations and revelations being spat out at maddening velocity. Apart from the alleged victims and their families, and the families of the accused, there is an entire subset of our population that is also in pain and being tormented while suffering in silence. It is the women, and men, who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

What many of us fail to understand and appreciate is that whenever there is public discourse about the sexual abuse of minors, survivors of this egregious violation experience a nauseating feeling of déjà vu. They are restimulated, as the bombardment via traditional and social media, and workplace and other discussions, stir up unpleasant memories, producing negative emotions and triggering depression relapses. Feelings of sadness, shame, embarrassment, anger and guilt are once again brought to the fore, and these women, and men, are forced to relive and deal with their traumatic histories all over again.

The Moravian Church in Jamaica, which was established in 1754, represents a continuation of the Caribbean Moravian Mission which commenced in 1732.

Dr Gardner

President of the Moravian Church in Jamaica Dr Paul Gardner and his deputy, Jermaine Gibson, have stepped away from their positions on the Provincial Elders Conference to facilitate a probe into more allegations of sexual misconduct within the church.

The conference is an executive supervisory body for the church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

The news broke last week amidst the turmoil surrounding the church, stemming from charges of carnal abuse and rape of a 15-year-old girl in St Elizabeth against Moravian minister Rupert Clarke.

Over the past week, I have had conversations with six women, in different decades of life, who have confessed to me that the present imbroglio has reopened old wounds, with the revelation of each new detail piercing them like daggers thrust into their hearts.

Sonia* is 26 years old and was molested as a child by a family member who was very active in church. She commenced therapy last year to deal with the effects of her trauma and has been doing well, but the present crisis has deeply affected her. She remarked to me that she feels like a “derailed train”. As a matter of fact, during our conversation, she broke down and had to terminate the discussion.

Angela* is 34. She is a friendly, energetic and outspoken woman who, during a conversation outside a pharmacy regarding the scandal, revealed to me that she was molested at seven years of age by a gardener. He was fired, but no report was made to the police.

The present discussion about the scandal has created much discomfort. Every time a situation like this occurs and is publicised, it takes her back to a very dark place. According to her, there is so much sexual violence out here that she “cannot even get a year off” from being restimulated.

Carlene* is 51 years old. After I posted an update on my Facebook wall regarding the scandal, I received an inbox message from her: “Jesus Michael how deep does this go? Feeling so sick.” I called her and she told me that she, too, was a victim of abuse at eight years of age.  While boarding at the house of a family friend, she woke up one night to find the woman’s son, a teenager, between her legs. She made a report to his mother, who removed her from the room, but kept the incident from her parents. Like Sonia and Angela, the present church scandal has brought back memories of her own trauma like a boomerang.

Pamela* is 54 and I have known her for most of her life. What I did not know is that she had been molested as a child. Like Carlene, she had seen a post on my Facebook page about the crisis. She is usually outspoken about human-rights issues, but sent me an inbox message that read:  “I am sitting this one out, because I am too angry. I too was fifteen and it was a teacher, not a pastor. I have been in therapy since I was 26 (the first time I ever broached it), and at 54 I am still angry. Every time I type a response, I have had to erase it.”

Perhaps the most excruciating pain is that experienced by women who grew up in the Moravian Church and were initially traumatised there as children. The story just hits too close to home.

Candice* is now 32 years old. She attended church in St Elizabeth and told me that at age 11, she was fondled by a Moravian pastor, who took her virginity when she was 14. He threatened to kill her if she spoke about it. She claims that there were several other victims, and that after he was exposed following a particular incident, he was transferred by the church to another Caribbean island. The present situation has not only enraged her, but has also energised her to seek justice. (There is no statute of limitations regarding statutory rape in Jamaica.)

Gina* is a 27-year-old woman from Manchester, and reports having sexual encounters with two Moravian pastors, with one taking her virginity at 15 years of age. The scandal has sent her into a tailspin, affecting her ability to function, but, like Candice, she plans to take legal action.

All of the above-mentioned women have experienced severe clinical depression and disruption of their lives. Sonia feels suicidal at times. I clearly recall one Sunday when she spent the entire day in bed in the foetal position, and ate nothing from sunrise to sunset. Pamela also reports having problems with alcohol.

Intimacy and trust issues, as well as psychosexual dysfunction, are constants in the lives of these women. Angela told me that she has never been alone in a room with a man because the gardener is always in the room with them. During intercourse, she wants the sex act to be over quickly, and is uncomfortable with intimacy, saying that she can “have sex” but is unable to “make love”.

Similarly, Sonia only sees sex as a way to “scratch an itch”.

The psychological scars of childhood sexual abuse run extremely deep. Those affected live and walk among us. Please be empathetic and be mindful of what you say in your discussions, especially in public spaces. When you lift your eyes from this article, and raise your head, you may be looking directly into the eyes of a survivor.

- Names changed to maintain anonymity.

- Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, comedian and poet. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or tweet @mikeyabrahams.

Jamaicans Urged to Report Child Abuse and Child Sex Abuse

Report sexual abuse of children, CISOCA head urges

Superintendent Enid Ross (File photo)

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The Centre for Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) is imploring parents and guardians to report known or suspected cases of child abuse.

“We treat every matter that comes to our attention swiftly and we respect the rights of individuals to privacy and confidentiality, so there is nothing to fear as we have the child’s interest at heart,” says head of CISOCA, Superintendent of Police (SP) Enid Ross Stewart.

She tells JIS News that under the Sexual Offences Act 2009 and the Child Care and Protection Act, CISOCA is empowered to take action on all reports of sexual offences in relation to children.

She points out that children under the age of 16 cannot give consent for sex and so the law makes it mandatory for sex offenders to face punitive measures before the court.

Reports are made primarily to the centre by school guidance counsellors, the Child Development Agency (CDA), hospitals, the Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR) and probation officers.
Noting that child victims are less likely to report abuse, SP Ross Stewart says the Child Care and Protection Act makes it mandatory for parents and citizens to inform of known or suspected incidents.

“The law is strict in respect of the failure of persons to report instances of child abuse (sexual or physical) and expressly provides a list of prescribed persons,” she points out.

These include physicians, nurses, dentists, principals and teachers.

“The State has placed these persons as those responsible and has the burden of reporting all instances of abuse that come to their attention. Failure to comply with this section of the law results in sanctions,” she warns. This includes fines and/or imprisonment for six months.

SP Ross Stewart tell JIS News that CISOCA has developed a collaborative approach in addressing sexual abuse of children and has been working closely with other State agencies such as the CDA and the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation.

“We collectively take decisions to restore normalcy to families and the best interest of the child is observed,” she says, noting that matters are also referred to various State entities so that therapy can be facilitated.

She notes that even after the case has been resolved CISOCA continues monitoring through the school guidance counsellors, foster parents, among other means.

SP Ross Stewart tell JIS News that among the most challenging cases to investigate are those where the victim is in an intimate relationship with the perpetrator and is unwilling to give evidence.

“Complainants who are pregnant with the accused person’s child are also unwilling to come forward and give evidence because of the fact that the accused person is the one who will be giving child support financially or emotionally,” she points out.

She notes further that when a person is charged with having sexual intercourse with a person under age 16, in many instances, when the complainant reaches adulthood, she may indicate to the court that she no longer wishes to go any further with the matter against the accused.

“This is because the complainant is now an adult and can decide not to proceed with the matter without the consent of their parents,” she points out.

It is for this reason, she says that it is important for responsible persons to come forward and report what they know.

CISOCA’S work is also complemented by other legislation such as the Trafficking in Persons Act, Cybercrime Act, Child Pornography Act, The Judicature Resident Magistrate’s Act, and the Offences Against the Person Act.