Members of the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Coalition for the Protection of Children and Youth, have warmly welcomed the passing of the Bill to amend the Sexual Offences Act in Parliament recently.
At a press conference held today at the office of Dominica Planned Parenthood, Philip Carlisle of CARIMAN stated that the NGO Coalition are going to be the watchdogs for justice, taking measures to ensure that the amendment passed will be put into action.
Gloria Walsh of the Love One Teach One, stated that the NGO is pleased with the strategies that are being looked at to prevent repeat offences, such as the tougher penalties available for sexual offences, “ We are pleased that the Dominica Judiciary now have much tougher penalties available to mete out to those convicted of sexual offences,” she said.
Walsh also went on to say that a strategy that could be used to prevent repeat offences would be an effective Sexual Offenders Register.
“Another strategy for preventing repeat offences would be for the police to hold an effective Sexual Offenders Register,” she said.
The NGO indicated that they are pledging to campaign for a multi-disciplinary Special Victims Unit to be established and call on the authorities to work together.
“The NGO pledges itself to campaign for a multi-disciplinary Special Victims Unit to be established that avoids re-traumatizing the survivors, and we call on the police, the Welfare Division, the DMOS, the DPP’s office and the Government to work together to ensure that these Child Protection Agents are properly resourced,” Walsh noted.
According to Walsh, the Coalition aims at introducing new ways to prevent victims of abuse from endless adjournments, cross examinations and public shame.
“We look forward to the time when it will be normal to conduct the Preliminary Inquiry as a Paper Committal whenever the defendant is accused of a sexual offence. This would avoid the repeated traumatic visits to the Magistrate Court facing endless adjournments, cross examinations and public shame. We call for an increased use of video recording at cross-examination statements made at the time rather than seeking to intimidate and confuse the child witness months and even years, after the event,” she said.
Walsh went on to say that “the equipment for video linking is available and should be used to avoid the intimidation of child witnesses and to prevent the witness from having to see the defendant.”
Concerning the Sexual Offenders Register, Chairperson of the Coalition, Tina Alexander stated, “the Sexual Offenders Register is something operational in most other countries, and the records of sexual offenders should be kept so that when they are released from their sentence, the police can be alerted to where they are actually living and can have a proper observation of the person and proper records of the person’s address so that they would be banned from living with children.”
Alexander also stated that a multi-disciplinary Special Victims Unit to be established is more than just a thought but a vision of the Coalition.
“It is more than a thought, it is a vision and the members of the coalition attended a forensic interviewing training that was hosted by the Welfare Division and out of that came a subcommittee that was formed to be a consultative group for Government as they move towards this desirable end,” she stated.
Please do not blow your trumpet too loud. This Amendment Act is not designed to reduce, prevent or stop child abuse. I spoke with one of your colleagues, experience and exposed to this campaign and explained why.
I have heard the cry for prevention, early detection and I agreed that this is the way forward. this Act is an act of contrition, deception and goes nowhere.
I am glad the request for a sexual offenders register has been brought forward again. It is difficult to imagine it being put on the back burner.
Every convicted sexual offender should be registered with his (her) picture, DOB, the crime, the sentence, and the general vicinity of the person’s current home. (This would mean it would have to be updated if the individual moved.)
A register is necessary for the benefit of police, school principals, landlords, park security, employers, border crossing guards, customs and immigration officers, and government workers handling applications for passports, etc.
It is not unheard of for a sexual child molester to move to a different locality, even go to another country, for employment. Pedophiles such as teachers have gone to work in schools in foreign lands and reoffended. No nation should be uncovered by an online comprehensive sex offenders register.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
Citizens, tourists, and Dominicans in the diaspora with loved ones on the island, are grateful to the NGO and others who have worked hard and long to bring Dominica to this time.
The wait could have been discouraging but you soldiered on. You ARE making a difference
I especially appreciate the proposed (a) tougher penalties, (b) sexual offenders register, and (c) the technology to protect abused children from seeing the accused.
More may need to be done to protect the children from intimidation both before and during the trial. The interviews with the young victims before the trials must be handled with sensitivity to avoid accusations of intimidation (causing them to withhold evidence), or of putting words in their mouths.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist. Former Licensed Private Investigator.