Dominica’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Costa Rica, Dr. Damien Dublin, is of the opinion that the Dominican society may be responsible for the repeated cases of sexual abuse and it must take a stand on the matter.
He made the remarks during a townhall meeting at the Dominica Public Service Union (DPSU) building on Valley road organized by the NGO Coalition for the Protection of Children and Youth on Wednesday night.
“Maybe the society is to blame, maybe the society is making the perpetrators feel so comfortable that they can do it over and over again,” he said.
Dublin thinks society must take a stand on child abuse.
“I think the society has to take a stronger stand and confront these people if you know them,” he noted. “Some people because they are a relative they might be afraid to confront the people but we have to stand up because it’s really becoming critical. Just think of the damage done. This damage is long term, it’s not a thing like you fall and bruise and you deal with it or you have a toothache and you take out the tooth and you good, that is a thing that scar you for life.”
He said when young people are sexually abused, it affects them as well as the development of the country.
Meanwhile senior police officer, ASP Claude Weekes is laying a case for legislative review of sexual offences on the island.
He said while the present legislation is “strong” there is still need to have it reviewed.
“I believe that there is definitely need for a legislative reform or review,” He said. “I am of the view that if for example [the legislation] says 25 years for having being found guilty of Unlawful Sexual Intercourse (USI), it didn’t say on a minor and I think it’s time that there should be mandatory sentence for that and that is whether the person pleads guilty or not.”
Weekes noted that while lawyers may argue mitigation and temper justice with mercy before a judge, one must also think of the victim and the public interest.
“And the message must be sent that indeed the deterrent factor will take effect in the land,” he said.
Additionally Weekes noted that he thinks one of the reasons why sexual abuse cases continue, apart from the culture of silence, is “the retardation of these cases, the protracted delays in the court room…”
He said such cases should be dealt with in a speedy manner.
“When these cases come, in my view, they should be disposed of at least within nine months to one year,” he noted, adding that paper committals will assist in expediting these cases.
He described the Unlawful Sexual Intercourse cases as a “cancer” and “a malady in the society.”
Recently the island saw a significant rise in sexually abuse cases of children before the courts and many voices have called for harsher jail time as well as a review of the current legislations.
“a grown woman, did not know the name for that part if her body”( Erasmus B. Black).
I am not surprised at all to read that. All this is due to a lack of education, and tradition. When I was a kid, and heard someone talking about human anatomy, the use all sort of names which to me are stupid and people should be ashamed to teach their children such nonsense.
Penis, = puppy, bud, dick, plug, tolly, ect.
Vagina = pompom, pussy, poo-key cat curcut scount, and foolishness such a mafia: Antigua they say Pork, pook.
Gluteus maximums = batty, bum-bum, bottom backside, ass, in America; butt. It is not funny, but that is what ignorant people teach children. When my mother had her least child, I ask her where the baby came from; my mother told me “an aero-plane brought it to one night to her.”
I sat all of my children down one night, and taught them the facts of life unlike my parents.
“Gluteus maximums”
That should be “gluteus maximus”: pertaining the three muscles, the greatest, middle, and least, which extend, abduct, and rotate the thigh; called gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus muscles.
One day my older daughter told me about some sensations she felt; I realize she had began to mature; as a result group my son’s and daughters and explain to them what it means to mature, I held nothing back, my former wife covered her face during the lecture.
Nevertheless, neither of my daughters got pregnant in their teens, nor did my sons get anybody daughter before they had a job to support their children. I told my older son never marry a woman unless he is sure she can have children. One night he brought a pregnant to the house. And told be well to told make sure she can have children prior to mirage, I we are here to tell you we are getting married. If we tell children what is write they do what is right!
” Dominican society may be responsible for the repeated cases of sexual abuse and it must take a stand on the matter.”
The quote above is the most ridiculous piece of garbage I read in a long time. It appears to me that all of the people associate with this government are all sailing in the same boat of ignorance. Even those who say they are Dr. are full of nonsensical crap! In order for one to the entire nation is responsible for the behavior of the criminals of the country is utter nonsense!
The word “society” has different definition; nevertheless in this case Dublin has insinuated that Dominicans are an enduring, and cooperating social group of people who developed organized patterns of relationship through interaction with one another which encourages abuse such as rape and murder of children in our country. Dublin implied we are a people having a common traditions, and involved collectively in activities as abuse of children, including rape!
The want French…
They want French taught in Dominica whereas they cannot master the English language. It is foolish to blame the entire country for the behavior of a the sexually perverted criminals who even sexually abuse their own relatives.
It would be okay if he narrowed it down to a part of the community that sets itself apart from normal people, since they may be aware that their behavior is abnormal. Sexual abuse continues in the country because when the pedophilia’s are caught, and brought to justice, the judges, and magistrates, do all but set them free.
A criminal sexually assaulted three children, in the process sodomized them,: What did the judge do, he/she sentence the pedophilic to jail for eight years. A slap on his wrist! Dublin should concern himself with that before made that stupid comment blaming society!
” In order for one to the entire nation is responsible for the behavior of the criminals of the country is utter nonsense!”
That should read: ” In order for one to “assume” the entire nation is responsible for the behavior of the criminals of the country is utter nonsense!”
Rape is a violent crime against our young girls and boys and it should be punishable by death it is demonic to watch little 3 and 6 years old little innocent being brutally harassed and a judge sending them to only 8 years jail that should be a 60 years hard labour without payroll
K
SOCIETY is being called upon to help because sexual child abuse affects people in every walk of life. This means everybody who can help must help. Everybody who can contribute must contribute.
Who will teach the children when to run and what situations to keep away from
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Who will teach parents how to recognize signs of abuse
Who will take the action necessary to get a law on the books that says every known case of sexual child abuse MUST be reported to the police or there will be a penalty
Who will make the arrangements for a newspaper reporter to attend and cover every sexual child abuse trial
Tax payers want to know the name and see the picture of the accused IF he or she is CONVICTED, and they want to know what the sentence is.
Who will work to have a Sex Offenders Registry put in place
Do something! The child you save may be your own.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. International…
black on black crime that is what happened to our race when we were slaves today our own people doing it to our own race. if any one of my family become victim to such crime, i will have no problem going to prison i will not contact police our this joker court system in Dominica.
In her award winning play “Vagina Monologues” the author asks the thought-provoking question “If a vagina could talk, what would it say.?” Erasmaus I thought our local equivalent was a he?
I know he treats eats & talks too much. Semoon is the deuxparler location . After twosctoch & 3 punch parler parler beucuop.
Question for the NGO Coalition and Police: What are the statute of limitations in Dominica for sexual abuse cases? Most women are not able to speak out until many years later. We know of many grown adult women who were abused as children. I know the NGO is counseling many of them. The perpetrators are still at large and many of them are active members of the community. They are still abusing. Pedophilia is an illness with no cure. Just because they did not have their day in court does not mean they are not a danger to our children. Has anyone in authority had a discussion with the Catholic church about the priest they dismissed for child sexual abuse. I believe these types of persons should also be publicly identified. If a reputable organization such as the Catholic church took such extreme measures then this is something of concern. Especially if that priest continues to be an active member of the community.
As I understand it there is no statute of limitations on these matters. There maybe challenges in terms of evidence and proof however you are quite right, a collection of reports against a certain individual will make ultimate prosecution of that person much more likely.
As a counsellor I have been able to stand with adult women and men abused as children as they make their statements to the police and have seen the perpetrator arrested and shamed. Even if the day in court does not result in conviction, others who are being abused by the same person currently can get courage and break their silence. In the UK currently there are several prominent personalities now facing huge sentences because their victims spoke out as adults. Paedophiles are serial criminals and children need to be protected from them
Do not waste time in reviewing and reforming the legislation.
There should be no plea bargaining. No lesser sentence for those who plead guilty. No leniency for them.
The government should make it known that abuse cases will not be tolerated. Inform nationals, in no uncertain way that perpetrators will be prosecuted and face the full brunt of the Law.
Parents must be counseled to protect their children and immediately report child abuse.
Children must be counseled to avoid anyone who has such a tendency and to also inform their parents.
Definitely, serious steps must be taken to protect women and children from these abusers.
No sugar and spice. Tell it like it is.
People are fed up with politicians dancing around the mulberry bush and tossing them promises. Every report of a child being raped is followed by a news article from a government official or spokes person saying they are going to review or revise the laws.
Maybe they should have a town hall meeting and ask the people for suggestions. Write them down and start doing them. Because unless things change soon the unthinkable is going to erupt.
I pray God will be merciful.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. International Evangelist.
Have there been allegations, in some cases, irrefutable facts have surfaced, of young women who have experienced sexual abuse by some in ‘high office?”
Women and men are being abused, manipulated, bribed, coerced, fooled, all the time. Ask those “with Power”
How much abuse of a people could there be when leaders are engaged in all sorts of corrupt acts, enriching themselves quickly by dubious means, secret deals here, there and the people are in the dark, no accountability, no transparency.
How much more abuse of men and women, especially in the rural communities, whose livelihoods have been shattered by the neglect of agriculture. Unemployment is rampant. Villagers earned a living from agriculture,, raised families, send their children to school.
Communities are Impoverished. Men and women have to climb Financial Centre stairs, with hand outstretched for something, anything. How much more abuse could that be?
Injustice and corruption breed abuses of…
You say there are ”irrefutable facts” of sexual abuse against young women by people in high places.
If you know (have proof) of such abuse of power taking place you have a responsibility to report it to the police. Do not go alone. Go to the editor of your best newspaper. Ask him (or her) to assign a reporter to the case. Have the reporter go to the police with you. Do not waste time at the front desk. Ask to speak to the chief or commanding officer. Give him or her the story and ask what can be done.
However, the people who have been the victims must be willing to lay the charges. They must be willing to talk to the police and testify in court if the police think there is enough evidence to lay charges.
This nonsense continues because the alleged victims will not come forward. This is a war. We will not win unless we are willing to fight.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. International Evangelist.
“Unlawful sexual cases as a cancer?” Unlawful sex should be considered rape. Child molestation & sex with a child is insufferable. Now when Dr.Dublin blames the society I have to ask the question who in the society is he blaming. Is he blaming the individual or individuals,the victim,the parents or if he is blaming me. I am lost as to who this man is blaming. We have had enough of the excuses. i hope hope one day it will be repeated with shame that the people responsible for the protection of our children took a back seat & did nothing but play the blame game.
To say or even imply that ”society” is to blame for sexual child abuse in any country is too vague.
While the blame can be spread out widely over a large area the reality is that individuals are to blame. Many people have pointed the finger at those they think are at fault for the increase of sexual child abuse.
Most often blamed are those whose job or responsibility it is to rein in sex offenders or reduce the spread of the problem. This is the reason for the increasing anger and the threats of vigilante justice we are seeing expressed in the comments of DNO.
I recall reading in DNO a while back of a pedophile who was rendered incapable of a repeat performance. It happened after a father had reported the rape of a child to the police and was told there was nothing they could do citing circumstances, etc. This will likely happen again unless there are radical changes in Dominica.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. D.D., International Evangelist.
In her award winning play “Vagina Monologues” the author asks the thought-provoking question “If a vagina could talk, what would it say.?” If anecdotal evidence hold true for Dominica we would probably hear from many vaginas ( and penis too) about encounters with fathers, step-fathers, uncles, pastors, neighbors, youth leaders or other close family friends who are usually the chief culprits of sexual abuse. But to the extent that we refuse to report them for fear of “spoiling our family’s good name” or because ” the families are just too close” or just turn a blind eye because it does not concern us we become guilty. How many times do we hear mothers boast that all their children are boys so they have nothing to worry about? And the names we have for the victims are not pretty! Think of malaprop and its bigger relative that begins with S. Just recently I heard the comment “tee fee sar lar e pas Bon mem mem – e déjà en la vie” to refer to an alleged victim of sexual…
And that victim was only thirteen years old. The alleged culprit was her father’s best friend. Until we can change our mindset to believe that the abusers come in all shapes and sizes and may be anyone from doctor to fisherman, those abusers will continue to rely on our misassumptions to continue their abusive behaviors.
You know who, which Dr. is vagina dialouges his nickname. he trats and talks.
Two types of people make a joke of sexual misconduct, or talk as if sexual sin is a suitable source of entertainment.
(1) Those who themselves are guilty. It is a way of releasing the pressure of the guilt they feel they feel.
(2) Those who want to share in the discussion but do not understand the issues or have the ability to intelligently discuss or debate the subject.
The Bible says ”Fools make a mockery of sin.” To bend something so shamefully serious into a form of entertainment is plunging human minds into a cesspool and corrupting behavior. What we do is influenced by what we take into our minds through ”ear gate” or ”eye gate”. Behavior molds character. Character decides destiny.
Christians who know their life is a walk with the Lord are careful what they see and hear.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. International Evangelist.
Not everybody shares this point of view.
St. Paul the Apostle wrote ”Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:17,18)
The Lord Jesus said ”My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)
To His own the Lord says ”Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: But he that doeth the will of God abides for ever.” (1 John 15-17)
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. International Evangelist.
With all due respect to you Reverend, I am not the least bit surprised by your reaction. This is the typical response from pastors and politicians that the author of Vagina Monologues spoke about when she tried to promote her play. They saw one word and dismissed the play as a joke. There is nothing funny about sexual abuse or about my post. And “if a vagina could talk” is a very serious topic. Would you believe that a few years ago I served as a juror on a sexual assault case is Dominica and the victim – a grown woman, did not know the name for that part if her body? If it talk I really wonder what it would say
A mother thinks she has nothing to worry about because all her children are boys.
Almost all the sexual child abusers are boys or men.
A thirteen year old was assaulted by her (or his) father’s best friend.
We tend to become ”friends” with people like ourselves. My own male friends are men who have basically the same values I have. We discuss subjects we are both interested in and have similar pastimes.
If I learned a guy had interests I found offensive we would not be ”friends” for long.
Two things concern me here.
(1) I wonder what kind of man the father was to have a ”best friend” like this, and if it says something about the father himself.
(2) I wonder where and when the assault took place and if the father ever felt uncomfortable allowing a child to be alone with this individual.
We should be careful of any adult who shows an undue interest in a child, wants to spend time with them, or take them places.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill…
That was putting a spin on how I feel about these criminals who take advantage o our future.
I have no use for these guys & gals thought there aren’t thos too? you are mistaken. we should flush em down those Sino toilets if they fit.
The biggest hurdle is there are top officials who are guilty of these crimes. That does not protect them from my name above.
with such a hypo society we just have to move forward with the idea. it will take root.
Just as we have so many bichies amputations of legs here so will the number of penile amputees.
Just a hypothesis. you are the science of the moment.
Doc you can help more than you realize or ever gave thought to.
You are a dentist am not but I hear read and see stuff in books,TV etc. everthought of doing some dental implants only the caninie teeth to bite off the male organs when they attack our kids?on out