There has been an increase in the reported cases of incest in Dominica after Hurricane Maria, according to Head of the Child Abuse Prevention Unit, Jemma Azille-Lewis.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, she said there are reported cases of brothers and uncles being involved.
“I don’t have the figure with me but from what has reached my office, we’ve had an increase in the reported cases of incest,” she said.
She stated that this could due to displacement caused by the devastating hurricane which hit the island in September last year.
“You will find these things happening because we had displacement issues and persons share a lot with their family and different persons sharing placement,” she said. “Persons were sharing homes, so we had different families, different persons sharing under one roof.”
She added that the problem was not concentrated in hurricane shelters because the Child Abuse Prevention Unit went to them to have one on one with those living there but in homes.
“In homes where you find persons were sharing spaces, that’s where we saw the incest cases,” Azille-Lewis said. “So we had a few with brothers and uncles and so on.”
She also said there has been a rise in pregnancy and other sexual abuse cases after the hurricane.
All I can say is the sooner the “second coming” the better, cause the world gone to HELL!
To make the news you just have to open your mouth and talk!! Incest cases are up but you have no figures!! What folly!! If you are going to make such a sweeping statement, collect your figures before opening your mouth, make sure your brain is engaged before you open your mouth!!
Forgive me but to make such a statement common sense dictates the need for comparison. It is insulting and offensive to talk to the masses without giving them the figures. If incest is up by what percentage? What is the time period of observation during which the comparison is made. Such a cheap, simplistic ploy to grab head lines. An insult to our country, LORD HELP US!!!
Maria is to Dominica what 9/11 was to the US…a political scapegoat or the false cause of every sick thing that happens.
Displacement my ***. That’s just sick. So many persons experience natural disasters, they don’t go about coming incest. If you tell me burglary, theft I would understand but Incest. Just sick.
This news item is missing parts. Two paragraphs does not cut it. We need the Child Abuse Prevention Unit to be more precise; is there an increase in incest or rape? are uncles involved with their nephews? the information shared is to blur.
I have never in my entire life heard such crap as ths person has spouted! What has displacement have to do with humans choosing to behave as feral animals?
No wonder Dominica is in such a sorry state when someone in high office blames a hurricane for such sinful and abhorrent behaviour. Dominica needs to be purged and consecrated as the slide to hell and damnation is gaining momentum.
This is a really heart-breaking “reality check” for all of us as a nation.
This is what the world is reading about us while we’re there fighting with each other because of “Party Colours”. The sick people who committed these despicable acts are certainly supporters of the different political parties.
Maybe now that our “dirty linen” has been exposed to the whole world We’ll finally begin to realize that Dominica is more than just DLP and UWP. We need to look out for each other. We need to be there for each other, especially the most vulnerable ones among us, our children.
We can do better. Let’s not make politics blind us to what’s going on around us.
This is simply unacceptable.
“There has been an increase in the reported cases of incest in Dominica after Hurricane Maria, according to Head of the Child Abuse Prevention Unit, Jemma Azille-Lewis.”
Problem is described..Is anything being done about it??
These incest cases were happening before the hurricane. Dont blame maria for poeple nasty ways. Its only now that people finding out about this because there isnt much places to hide.
I am getting tired of this Maria thing. Everything in Dominica now is since hurricane Maria. Nooooo! Those boowo have been there long before Maria. You are coming to make a report and telling people “I don’t have the figure with me”. Well, until you are ready, do not come with nothing. I can promise you that nothing has increased since Maria. Stop blaming Maria for everything. Displacement? If it’s a brother, how does displacement come into play? There is no excuse for any incest and please stop looking for reasons. What you need to do is to hound the legal system to incur harsher punishment on these criminals so as to deter them.
I totally agree. And they have been there so long and the law is still the same. They have all the records aand they are not helping. Especially if their friends or family involved. They are just a name. I am speaking from experience. They never tried to help me. Don’t come with this crap azzile we need a new management team for welfare
This is a despicable act taking advantage of innocent children during A disaster where children may be displaced and traumatised due the Hurricanes and storms. What IS wrong with our people and most importantly our men in communities.
This failed Skerrit corrupt government really has not voiced for the protection of children and families in these small closed villages. This Skerrit government has lost focus, well they never had a working development plan at all for children and families. It is just travel the world, talk BS and offer handouts not jobs to our young people and their parents.
Skerrit must GO.
These Public Officers need a course in public speaking. She sounds so infantile on such a serious issue.
She went full-on Trump/Skerrit when she said “I don’t have the figures with me”. How are you making a statement and not have the actual facts in front of you?
incest makes it sound like the interactions were willing. They could have simply kept it as child sexual abuse or rape.
incest
/ˈɪnsɛst/Submit
noun
sexual relations between people classed as being too closely related to marry each other.
the crime of having sexual intercourse with a parent, child, sibling, or grandchild.
you all not helping at all I just don’t want to hear u madam. When its you all friends or relative that
commit the crime you all don’t act you all drag the process or nothing happens. So you all are the cause to the rise of incest. I am Speaking from experience.
This type of behavior has been going on since the beginning of time. It is used as a control mechanism by males. The only difference now is that the information is more out in the open.
What is really happening here? Is it incest or sexual abuse? How old are these uncles and brothers vs, the age of the people they are having sex with. At the end of the day, if we know this is going on what is being done to prevent it? Are the police prosecuting? DO we have social workers who go to every abused child and check up on them? Are the abusers removed from the home after we find out about the incest or do we allow them to live there and let it continue? This was a shallow article that just points to a growing problem in Dominica but where is the outrage from the Citizens and Government a like? Are the local reporters looking into the story and getting more details? If we are not putting public pressure or private pressure on the people in charge to do something, then how can we expect anything to change.
In the absence of information, people will speculate. To make such a bold statement in public, one would assume that some sort of research was done. Therefore, how difficult was it to present some statistical evidence with your statement Mrs. Azille?
In the absence of information, people speculate. The fact that you could come out and make this bold statement implies that some research was done by your department. Therefore, how difficult was it really to present us with some statistical evidence; evidence that you already have in your possession?
You all need to do better.
What is really happening here? Is it incest or sexual abuse? How old are these uncles and brothers vs, the age of the people they are having sex with. At the end of the day, if we know this is going on what is being done to prevent it? Are the police prosecuting? DO we have social workers who go to every abused child and check up on them? Are the abusers removed from the home after we find out about the incest or do we allow them to live there and let it continue? This was a shallow article that just points to a growing problem in Dominica but where is the outrage from the Citizens and Government a like? Are the local reporters looking into the story and getting more details? If we are not putting public pressure or private pressure on the people in charge to do something, then how can we expect anything to change.
Overall it is Sexual Abuse, but because of the age of the child, under 16 who cannot say yes to sex is a minor, there’re it is incest relating to the age. I hope that this is helpful.
Dear Ms Azille-Lewis,
If you do not have the figures readily available, why are you having a press conference? Your statement leaves us all to assume and make presumptions on what the figure is. Professionals in Dominica need to start presenting facts when they come to the media. I’d much prefer you say, from September 2017 to 2018, we have seen a …..% percent increase in incest cases. Our research suggests that ……………..! (this may be the cause; most common age group, girl/boys / what district.? didn’t your office anticipate such after such a major disaster? What proactive measure did you take to protect the children and vulnerable?
Did your office assist the vulnerable who are part of your program recover h swiftly after the hurricane? Did you ensure that foster parents were given priority for assistance for covering homes etc?Or does your job sit squarely on reporting lack of information?
Child abuse, rape and incest are too serious to be dealt with so casually!
I heard a newscast where she did give figures. I believe she said there were 1,500 or so cases of abuse in all forms (mental, physical, sexual etc) and of those 1,025 (i think) were sexual or something like that.
so perhaps DNO needs to be more comprehensive when reporting on such.
Also if they are present it is their responsibility to ask questions that their audience (all of us) may want answers to.
I don’t want to hear azzile when allu know the person who commits the crime all u prolonging the procedure and looking for excuses all not helping that is why abuse is rising.
One lifestyle complements another. When a nation forgets God terrible things will happen. Drunkenness, lust, prayer less lives, greed, strife, addiction, perversion….. are just some of the spirits behind this nation. Bondage has been the strongman from slavery. Yes! many are still bound and without sincere prayer will never be free. Dominica refuses to acknowledge God! It speaks with its mouth but its heart is far from God. Why Dominicans. Why has Dominica turned to other gods… money, man, physical possessions, cars, women, party….. why?
Take my advice. If Dominica is to be fixed it must go through total repentance! There is no other way but by the blood of Jesus Christ and may God be our judge.
Amen!
Haiti has been through a lot, yet it still goes through more. Who decides when Dominica has enough but God almighty!
He is God and there is none like Him!
Wake up and pray. Stop the sewo ans idolatry. Read the bible, fast and pray and watch God change the face of this land!
Yes,analy too included in this report Thomas.
Everything in the Caribbean and probably most of the world is sexualized. The music, dances, the daily casual interactions and conversations show that too many adults and children are too obsessed with sexual intercourse. Incest must not be tolerated. It’s becoming difficult to maintain your sanity in Dominica when so much negativity, antagonism and adversity gripping the country. It’s no secret why so many Dominicans are unwell. Truth be told, the country is falling apart (victimization, discrimination, sickness, incest, murders, starvation wages, political divisions, joblessness, poverty, vagrancy, hopelessness, etcetera)
A sad state of affairs. I have one beef with this story: An official is making a statement highlighting a wrong and does not make it her priority to get the statistics to share with the public.
Like most dominicans didnt already know that this was a issue in dominica kept a secret for generations..an entire village was completely destroyed (petite savane) which was ripe with this issue ..very strong alsi in the kalinago teritory..
How is that you prepare for a news conference and you do not have the data with you at the moment. This is really sub-standard and the tax payers do not deserve this. We are getting the same from the police and other civil servants, from all departments. Dominica, our standards are falling, we need to pay closer attention. We need data to get a better picture of what we are facing. Or it will just go in through one ear and out the other like all the other problems we face. Info without substantiating data is generally useless.
What about no school but it have work. And the job you have don’t want you to bring your kids with you.
Then pay to put your child some where, how you expect your job to want you to bring your kid(s) (plural) with you.
You can imagine if everybody had to bring their kids to work?
Brothers?! I can maybe understand uncles but that a little far
What is there to understand?
Uncles ??? understandable ? DA FALLS you just as sick as the rest of them to actually post that statement…SMH dominica just needs a restart button! Brothers ?? “A little” far?? That’s exream!!! U sure u reading what you typing nah man u sound like one of em guilty ones!!
Why would you understand uncles?…ehhhhhh..you fou??
Did you really post that thought? Lord have mercy on Dominica. There is nothing to understand about brothers uncle adults sister or anyone taking advantage of others especially in times of despair. Your post has confirmed that we are a sick society tbat needs a purge and cleansing. What you have just done is say it is ok for uncles to molest there family and there is an accepted circumstances. This is downright disgusting period. Dominica like Sodom pretty soon those volcanoes go start getting angry. That place is sickening. What makes itvworstvyou dont hear those churches and Christians matching in anger on the streets. They all bury thier heads in rhe sand.
Why you so ignorant and acting like is now things ate happening l. They were happening longgg before and things were even worse not too long we had a lévé Dominique where many women spoke out on family members that sexually molested them. Of course this was ignored by majority of our men. They are able to make these statements because finally more persons are reporting the cases. So that’s an improvement no need to wish death on the whole country. Do your part and get involved to educate the men in Dominica about sexuslising our women.
u not supposed to understand NONE!!!!!!!
Uncles never really feel like they part of the family, same with 3rd and 4th cousins. My opinion tho
u sound like one of those uncles. u sick
Either you are just dumb or trying to pretend like you so innocent @DA Fails. Open your eyes dear and be knowledgeable of what’s going on around you , especially behind closed doors.
You must be one of those who like to keep things in the family, no?
What is wrong with you? Why is any of this acceptable? The whole thing is sickening and immoral.
DA is really the pits when “people” like you condone such beastly behaviour.
We really need Divine help to save DA
Why people think brothers and uncle sound so apalling but we’re supposed to believe the entire human race came from two people.TWO