Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 24, 2016 Letters
Dear Editor,
It has become unbearable for me to continue witnessing daily child abuses and not saying anything to help save children from these torments that they are brought into this world to face. Below I will explain why I choose this format instead of informing the relevant authorities available.
After reporting two girls being abused by their step-father a while back, my family and I got an experience that no matter what happens, the torments we experience could never be erased from our minds. My family and I were subjected to daily abuse and threats. I was assaulted, ended up in Camp Street prison, my house was damaged (which to this day I have not repaired as a reminder to what we go through for trying to help), material lost, and had to attend court for over a year to face various charges made by the same step-father.
Stabroek News was most gracious to publish some of my experiences after I penned them and one of Stabroek News columnist even voice her opinion about my experiences. I faced three different Magistrates (Nurse at Vreed-en_Hoop Magistrate’s Court; McGusty and Liverpool at Leonora Magistrate’s Court). The then Commander at Leonora Police Station (Ian Amsterdam) and other officers with their dictatorial attitudes, did not give me a proper hearing to ascertain why the numerous complaints against the individual were made and vice versa. Instead they recommended charges and threats of long imprisonment if I am found guilty and an increase in bail every time a new charge arose.
At no time were any of them prepared to hear that the problems arose because I reported the man abusing his step-daughter and chastised him for his actions against the girls. Just to be clear, it is my opinion that some of the police prosecutors are in conspiracy along with some Magistrate Clerks. It’s my opinion that both parties colluded with one another and hide case jackets and they then bring them back to Court when you are not around.
The Magistrate would give another date and when you not there because you weren’t informed to, she/he dismisses the cases. That happened to me because after getting the Magistrate to put all the cases (9 of them I believe) to one date, I attended court and was told by the Clerk that I will have to check back for another date. After constant phone calls to the Clerk, I never got another date until I got fed-up and forget about calling him back. Would I go to the police station to report child abuse? No, because when you go there, they’ll inform you that it’s a matter for the Child Protection Agency and in my case, they ridiculed me when I was being victimized and told me I should have minded my own business.
Many people are under the impression that when you report a case of child abuse to the Child Protection Agency in Guyana, they would swoop in and take the children away. So, do I go to the Child protection Agency to report what I am witnessing? No. When I made my report, I visited the office to see if they could intervene. After I started to get victimized, I was astounded to discover that they didn’t know the location of the two girls or that they were forced to stop attending school. The loss of the two boys’ lives by the fire at the shelter/detention centre recently only makes me more fearful to go to them because, I don’t believe I would be at peace to know I make a report to an incompetent agency and their negligence causes lives to be lost instead of being saved.
For a while now I have been mulling what to do to help stop CHILD ABUSE in Guyana and have decided to start uploading videos of child abuse and label them ‘Child Abuse in Guyana’ and I have already upload one video of a man chastising a parent in Zeelugt after he witnessed the abuse a child was getting and I will be uploading more heart rendering videos later when my mobile phone which I normally use to write, take pictures and videoing with, is repaired.
I will be uploading the videos on YouTube along with Facebook. I prefer using Youtube because once you are curious about child abuse and you Google abuse, child abuse, Guyana or anything pertain to abuse, that link will pop up and thus the world could be aware of what’s transpiring in Guyana.
Editor, I mention the above to just let people understand my position for my future actions because almost every day I could hear painful screams emanating from a yard in Zeelugt within a stone throw away from where I would sometimes be and if you look out you will see a single parent mother of four children either with a whip or belt abusing the two smallest children (boy and girl).
This woman would be lashing these children all over their bodies without any care as to what damage she could cause and to the people who would venture outside to look at her actions. Many people around would complain bitterly but not to any authorities and when they ask me to do something, I would cite my experience and continue with my duties. Only recently the girl’s hand was in a cast and she was still subjected to daily abuse.
Next to that same woman, there’s an indigenous girl living with a baby. Sometimes she would be doing her chores and that baby could be heard screaming and she just continues about her business even if it takes over one hour. Other times you could hear the sharp sound of slapping and then the child would start bellowing for quite a while.
Traverse up the same street, there’s a young couple there (Deputy Headmaster and senior teacher) and they got a woman and her children to live with him. Since this woman started to live there, they have been witnessing the children being abused and are scared to report it because of the people’s attitudes. Friday night whilst walking with one of my in-laws to the public road we heard a small boy screaming very loudly from a house without any lights.
We could hear loud wailing the boy was making and almost feel the pains he was feeling along with the loud tumbling in the house. Could you imagine the feelings of this little boy who seems to be around the age of seven to be in a dark building and blows you can’t see just raining on you from a man with strokes (I know the man and the boy and it is not the first time I observe the boy being abused)? My in-law seems to get into a mood and suggest that we brick the man’s house down just to save the little boy but regrettably I declined the offer with sadness.
Editor, when someone gets murdered/killed by their offspring or relative we assume that the killer might be wayward but do we ever consider that the killer might be fed up of torment or the years of abuse might be too much? Many times I ask why these sadists are parents. Clearly many of them they didn’t want children because, if they did, they wouldn’t have been abusing them the way they do.
None of these children is merely getting scolding; they are being abused in a terrible manner which touches everyone who is a witness and as a parent it makes me sad and many times the images just flash through my mind which cause me to feel very sad and angry at the same time. Luckily like most of the times when I witness something, I’m with someone so whatever I mention I have witnesses so I’m not scared to defend myself.
As I said before, my phone is down but I plan to repair or replace it so I could go ahead with the intentions I have. Recently I wrote about the atrocities being committed on the road by an ex-police officer and saw someone reply saying I’m lying and threatening of suing me. There are many ways I could have dealt with that letter but I would like to inform the writer (I believe is the same ex-officer) I am not afraid of the threats. And the driver is so stupid to continue his actions which I would be sending pictures of to the media to verify.
Sahadeo Bates
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