Estimates totalling $13.9 billion meant for the Ministry of Education were approved on Wednesday afternoon when the National Assembly met to consider the amounts.

The process was not without a few verbal skirmishes, mainly between the two leading ladies in this area, Education Minister Priya Manickchand and APNU Shadow Education Minister Amna Ally. Contributions were also made by AFC MPs Valerie Garrido-Lowe and Cathy Hughes and MP Carl Greenidge, APNU’s point person on all things finance.

Purchasing of vehicles

Under the estimates for the ministry’s main office, Manickchand explained that $9 million is provided to purchase a vehicle for the minister as the one currently being used has already been overhauled twice. Under the ministry’s National Education Policy Programme, $18.5 million will go towards the procurement of four vehicles to enhance the capacity of ministry’s employees, including the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Administration. Funds will also be used under this programme to purchase two buses.

The money will also provide a bus for the David Rose School for the Handicapped to facilitate the transportation of its students. According to the minister, the school’s students require special care, but continue to face difficulties on public transportation.

The purchase of a double-door pickup, the minister continued, is also provided for to assist staff in various departments.

Payment for security services

There were also increases, under several programmes, of amounts intended to pay for security services. This time, it was Greenidge who highlighted that proposed expenditure under “Main Office” is $7.8 million, up from $4.8 million in 2013.

It was also pointed out that amounts for security services under the proposed “Education Delivery” programme amounted to $318 million, up from $295.1 million in 2013. Asked the rationale behind the increase, Manickchand explained that the new minimum wage order issued by the Ministry of Labour last year necessitated an increase in the amounts the ministry once paid for security services.

Printing of texts

Several million dollars have also been allocated to finance the writing of text books to be used in Guyana’s schools. Manickchand said that recent decisions concerning honouring copyright laws have made it more difficult for the ministry to procure the books needed for schools. As such, she explained, the ministry has endeavoured to gather competent and capable minds to write books for school-use. She said some of the books have been completed and have to be tested. In addition, $488.9 million is allocated for “Print and Non-Print Material” under the ministry’s proposed administration programme.

Overpayments

Lawrence, a member of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) – a body which scrutinises the finances of public institutions – said that the Auditor General has found that from 2006 to 2011 the ministry has made overpayments totaling $34.6 million.

To this Manickchand said that measures are being implemented to ensure such instances do not recur. With regard to taking measures to recoup the sums, she said the ministry is contemplating publishing the names of all those who owe the ministry money. Some of the persons who owe the ministry, she said, are aware of the fact that they received more than they were supposed to, but did not have the decency to give the amounts back. She said the ministry is first trying to exhaust all other measures before it decides to publish names in newspapers.

Manickchand is also not yet sure how she will go about distributing the money which will go to the parents of children in the public school system. When he presented the budget 2014 Finance Minister Ashni Singh announced that “government will provide this year a cash grant to the parents of every child attending a nursery, primary or secondary school in the public education system in the amount of $10,000 per child.” Singh said the provision is expected to benefit188,406 families.

While Minister of Edu-cation Priya Manickchand boasted about the advancements made in the education sector, APNU’s shadow minister Amna Ally criticised spending in the sector, saying the nation’s children are not the real beneficiaries.

The two squared off yesterday during the continuing debates on the administration’s proposed $220 billion budget, which the minister dubbed “holistic and comprehensive” while Ally labelled it a “repair and maintenance schedule” and a “spend and hope budget.”

However, the minister duly plodded on in her presentation with the loud support of her colleagues on the government side. Ally, who is also the opposition Chief Whip, was the only member of the opposition seated.

“With money comes growth, growth means our children are doing better, it means our children are better prepared for the world tomorrow…,” the minister said. According to the minister, there is no other sector better than education to demonstrate “tangibly” the growth under the PPP/C administration. She said the policy of the government is that education is the one thing that will see poverty being alleviated and she added that over the years the budgetary allocations to the sector increased and with this increase there has been better examination results.

But Ally argued that the country is not getting value for its money and that in some cases one cannot tell where the money is going. The “sufferers are the nation’s children,” she lamented, while charging that there is no certainty about the effectiveness of the educations programme. “This is evident having looking at what was supposed to have been done in 2013 and its preceding years. We hope that the government can get serious,” Ally said.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2014/news/guyana/04/08/manickchand-ally-clash-education-gains/

The People’s Progressive Party, through its General Secretary (GS) Clement Rohee, has said that A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) reneged on an agreement in Parliament with respect to the ban that was issued and subsequently lifted on Minister of Education Pryia Manickchand.

Rohee made this observation after APNU decided to drown out her speech during last Friday’s sitting of the House.
He explained that the commotion was caused because the Minister of Education was “misquoted and misinterpreted”. Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, had threatened to stop the Minister from speaking.

According to Rohee there was a meeting featuring the Chief Whips from APNU (Amna Ally) and PPP (Gail Teixeira) and Joseph Harmon, in the presence of the Speaker.
“All sides were heard and there was agreement that the Minister would make a statement that she did not refer to Member of Parliament Jaipaul Sharma. The Speaker would then allow her to make her 2014 budget debate contribution.”

Rohee then said that when called upon Friday to speak the “Peoples National Congress [PNC] led APNU began an unexpected banging and shouting to prevent the Minister from “exercising her democratic right to speak and represent 200,000 children who are in our schools today.”
Rohee said that the actions of APNU which effectively stopped the Minister from speaking are “just part of PNC bullying behavior to silence people without rhyme or reason and part of the disrespect for law and order and principles.”

This behaviour is what the PPP has been calling the “tyranny of the one-seat majority which the opposition has in the House” according to Rohee. He said that earlier in the tenth Parliament APNU employed a motion to gag him.
Rohee said that the “ear shattering banging on the tables and the shouting down of the Minister reminded us of the PNC behaviour in the past when the party was in office.
They used any and every means to shut up and silence those who did not share their view.

The PPP is of the view that APNU’s action last Friday “was a manifestation of their true colours, that being unprincipled and untrusting.” He said that after the agreement was reached by the parties concerned on Wednesday and the PPP Minister did her part, the APNU reneged on their agreement.

“The same thing happened in 2012 when the APNU was in agreement with a phased increase in Linden electricity rates only to renege on that during the sitting of the National Assembly.”
He said that APNU’s display was not only to prevent the Minister from speaking but “also could be considered a breach of the trust, which honourable people uphold and should uphold.”
Rohee said his party understands that under a pre-electoral agreement, APNU had promised the Justice for All Party (JFAP) one of the Parliamentary seats were they to win seats in the Parliament.

“It is interesting to note that a PNC member will now be filling that seat which should been given to the JFA party.”
He said that this is another example of the “lack of principle and trust which APNU fails to fulfill”. He added that the Speaker “must exercise control over the National Assembly and protect the Minister of Education from further abuse and denial of her right to speak in the National Assembly.”

Rohee was asked about what was stopping Minister Manickchand from apologizing and moving on with the work of the National Assembly. APNU Member of Parliament Vanessa Kissoon had done a similar heckle during a presentation by Public Works Minister Robeson Benn citing his relative being fingered in rape allegations.
The House asked her to apologize and she did so.

Rohee said that he did not hear Vanessa Kissoon’s comments so he was not capable of making a comparative analysis of the two incidents.

Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2014/04/08/apnu-reneged-on-agreement-in-parliament-over-manickchand-says-ppp/

…insists that she must apologise

The Parliamentary Opposition yesterday retaliated against Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, when she again stood in the National Assembly to add her voice to the ongoing 2014 budget debates.
As the Minister commenced her speech, members of the joint opposition, the Alliance for Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), swiftly vacated their chairs and headed for the nearest exits.

The only opposition member who remained grounded was APNU’s Chief Whip and Shadow Minister of Education, Amna Ally, who was slated to speak immediately after Manickchand.
On Friday Manickchand,  first attempted to make her presentation but was ‘drowned out’ by the Opposition’s ‘table banging’ and calls for her to apologise to the APNU member Jaipaul Sharma for comments that were deemed “highly improper” by Speaker of the House, Raphael Trotman.

Manickchand’s comments were voiced in the House on Tuesday last as APNU’s Volda Lawrence was making her budget presentation. She was highlighting the fact that a number of underage girls are being impregnated by older men.
The Education Minister in heckling mode noted that the “APNU member Sharma” would know about such activities.
Although the Minister was initially barred by Speaker of the House from making a presentation in the House until she offered an apology, he had subsequently reversed his decision.

Leader of the Opposition, David Granger, in an invited comment yesterday said that the opposition is still demanding that the Education Minister apologise to its member, Jaipaul Sharma.
However, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Clement Rohee, at an earlier press conference at Freedom House yesterday said that based on an agreement that was forged between the Opposition and the Government sides on Wednesday that the Education Minister should have been allowed to speak.
He said that the meeting was convened before Trotman and saw the attendance of Chief Whips of the APNU and PPP/C, Amna Ally and Gail Teixeira, along with APNU’s Joseph Harmon and Manickchand. According to Rohee, the outcome of that meeting was that Manickchand would be allowed to speak based on certain agreed language.

However, APNU’s Harmon is adamant that the only agreement made was with regards to the Education Minister offering an apology to Jaipaul Sharma, an accord that she failed to adhere to thus triggering the ‘walk out’, yesterday.

And although the House was void of the opposition, Manickchand continued her presentation even amplifying how Guyana has been able to sustain eight consecutive years of growth. In fact Manickchand sought to applaud her colleague Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, who was instrumental in crafting the budget which, she said, is expected to “bring goodness to the people of Guyana.”
“To Dr. Singh, the Honourable Minister of Finance, we are proud of you; we are grateful to you for the efforts you have made over the years and we stand with you on this budget,” added the very vocal Education Minister.

Manickchand went on to bash comments made by the opposition earlier in the debates that the staff of the Finance Ministry “are tired and should go home.”
“I think that was one of the most unfortunate things that we have heard in this House for the entire budget debate…Professional staff can vote however they want but they should be allowed to work in peace without being targeted and their professionalism should be respected,” said Manickchand much to the support of her colleagues on the Government side.

She added that entire conferences are organised around the world to have more women involved in the budgetary process of States.
“Here in Guyana we have a young bright, hard-working, articulate person, she is a woman, she is Sonya Roopnauth, she is our Director of Budget, we should be proud as a nation that we have done what conferences are organised to do.”

“Regardless of which side of the House you sit on, that should be a matter to celebrate,” asserted the Education Minister.

Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2014/04/08/opposition-stages-walk-out-on-priya-manickchand/

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[www.inewsguyana.com] – Education Minister Priya Manickchand has welcomed the monies allotted to the education sector in the National 2014 Budget.
The education sector received a total of $32.3B in this year’s budget.

The Minister pointed out that the investment is being made with the understanding that investment in the sector can significantly help in the process of poverty alleviation.

“Education is key to alleviating poverty and this government understands that… that is why we have matched our commitment in this regard by tangible budgetary allocations,” Manickchand told the House.

According to her, for the Opposition to say the budget has nothing for the people clearly shows their lack of understanding for the investment in education. She said their failure to understand speaks to the lack of vision.

She told the House that over the years, dating back to 1990 and with increased investment in the sector there have been significant improvements in the national pass rates at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination.

She reminded the House too that in 1992, under the PNC government only five percent of the budget was given to education, adding that in 2013 15.9%of the national budget was allocated to education.

“It is the PPP that can be trusted to take the nation’s children forward and we will be the first to admit that we are unhappy with some grades but because of the investment it will become better.”

Manickchand said that the budget coincides with the implementation of the first year of the Ministry’s five year strategic plan as she spoke of the projections for teacher and student improvement under the plan.

The Minister also indicates her intent to table amendments to the Education Act which she said does not meet the needs of the sector currently.

Using the monies in the 2014 budget, Manickchand said her ministry intends to print and distribute several books for both nursery and primary students, make schools and other buildings friendlier and catering for the differently abled, improve teacher training and more importantly achieve universal secondary education this year.

Manickchand did not fail to point out too her government’s committed to developing education in the hinterland.

Source: http://www.inewsguyana.com/manickchand-defends-investment-in-education-explains-its-correlation-with-poverty-alleviation/

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– ‘We have matched our vision to the allocations in the sector’, says Minister Manickchand

GUYANA’s education sector, taking the lion’s share of the 2014 Budget ($32.3 billion), has consistently made advances, but there is much more to do, according to subject Minister, Priya Manickchand.In the National Assembly, yesterday, she noted that focus on Guyana’s children not only makes them better than their parents were and improves their lives, but prepares them to take the reins of leadership in the country.

QUOTE: “If the Opposition leaders don’t work with us, we will work with their constituents, as we have been doing anyway” – Minister Manickchand

She made it clear that anything that takes away from this is like robbing Guyana’s youths of a better life, robbing their families of a better life, and goes against the promises made to them by the current Administration, as well as the Opposition.
She stressed that there is no doubt that there has been a transformation of the local education sector, transformations that are clearly evident by the achievement of universal primary education, the moves being made to reach universal secondary education, and the outstanding and record-breaking performances of Guyanese students compared to other countries in the Caribbean Region, among others.

The Education Minister stated that in 1991 the pass rate at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams was 21 per cent and it has been increased over the last two decades to 29 per cent in 1995, 46 per cent in 2000, 60 per cent in 2005 and 66 per cent in 2010.
She added that out of eight regional awards given by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Guyana brought home five last year, including best overall student, an award Guyana has been bringing back since 2006.
“We’re going for the others,” the Minister stressed.

Manickchand underscored the fact that the ruling party’s ideology, as it relates to the transformational impact of education, is evidenced in its policies.
“We have matched our vision to the allocations in the sector…with investments come growth,” she declared.

VALUE FOR MONEY
Opposition APNU Chief Whip and Shadow Education Minister, Amna Ally, had a contrary view of the moves in the education sector and called the allocations a “spend and hope” approach.
According to her, yesterday, the budget is a highly politicised document and it is a “repair and maintenance schedule”, not a developmental plan, nor is it something to solve problems of masses.
Ally stated that while the Government boasts that Budget 2014 is the largest budget ever, the “greatest worry” is that despite the larger input, Guyana is not getting value for money and the impacts of the massive investments in the education sector is still to be seen.
“We hope the Government can get serious,” she said.

The front-bencher with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) added that while some of the interventions, such as the move to ensure Guyana attains universal secondary education, are laudable, there must be value for money.
She said the current Administration must recognise the worth of the Guyanese youth and step up.
The Shadow Education Minister bemoaned the annual $10,000 education grant, noting its inadequacy.
Ally made it clear that talk of eight consecutive years of growth will not “hoodwink” the Guyanese people, many of whom are in a “depressing” situation.
She called for interventions that are sustainable to ensure real improvement of the lives of the Guyanese people.

The APNU MP reiterated her call for value for money and appealed for careful management and monitoring of interventions – all geared to delivered better services and quality education to all Guyanese children, rather than some.
“We want our nation’s children to have a better life, hence this Government must utilise the requisite resources, human and material, to let the people enjoy a better life,” Ally said.

REALISING OUR VISION
In response, Minister Manickchand said the education sector, through careful planning and management, is moving to realise its vision.
According to her, the Opposition’s reference to impact is a seemingly “skewed” definition of the word, adding that the successes of the sector seem to be lost.
“We will get there (where we need to be) because we can…we will plan for it, we will strategise for it and we will fund it,” Manickchand said.

She explained that her Ministry’s strategic plan, which will be released soon, will further realise the current Administration’s vision for the sector.
Among the initiatives to be undertaken on the five-year plan are: long-awaited changes to the Education Act, last amended in 1976; new regulations on national accreditation council; new interactive website, to benefit school children; engagements with stakeholders; more focus on children with special education needs; completion of Guyana’s own nursery reader (Roraima Readers); completion of Guyana’s primary readers (Atlantic Readers); addressing furniture needs; more resources for students; increased teacher training; advances at the University of Guyana (UG), including curricula reform and the establishment of a Centre of Excellence; and a hinterland education improvement programme, among others.

Manickchand added that consultations are frequently done and will continue to be done to ensure the delivery of education responds to real needs of the Guyanese people.
As to the advance of the sector and, by extension, Guyana, the Minister said, “We will do it alone if we have to, as we have been doing, but we would appreciate the support, because their (Opposition) supporters expect their representation for the children of those constituents.”
She made it clear that the MPs in the Opposition benches have much to offer, but must understand that in making their contribution, it is a contribution to the Government’s vision for the sector, not as the Government to determine that vision.

“If the Opposition leaders don’t work with us, we will work with their constituents, as we have been doing anyway,” Manickchand said.

The Minister maintained that the contention that the Budget has nothing to offer reflects a clear misinterpretation and lack of understanding of the 2014 Estimates.

It should be noted that the Opposition seats were vacant during Minister Manickchand’s presentation yesterday as the Opposition members walked out of the House, protesting her refusal to issue an apology to former APNU MP, Jaipaul Sharma. The only Opposition member who stayed to listen to Minister Manickchand’s presentation was Ms Ally.

Source: By Vanessa Narine; https://guyanachronicle.com/2014/04/07/education-remains-pppc-governments-top-priority

A day after resigning as a Member of Parliament (MP) for main opposition APNU, Jaipaul Sharma yesterday said that he disagreed with Speaker Raphael Trotman’s justification for lifting a ban on Education Minister Priya Manickchand over comments she made that offended him.

Sharma said Trotman did not give him a chance to complete his objections to the minister’s remarks on Tuesday during the continuing budget debate, when she made an allusion to the statutory rape charges against his father. Trotman had intervened, initially censured the minister over her comment and asking her to apologise but without success, which led to the short-lived ban on her participation.

Sharma, who tendered his resignation to the National Assembly on Thursday over the remarks made by Manickchand, is also upset that Trotman delayed informing the House that he had resigned. He has since received calls from many persons who have encouraged him to rescind his resignation.

“I thought long and hard about this and, I am not a little boy, I know the decision I made,” Sharma told Stabroek News yesterday, while noting that there is a belief that he wants to hurt the partnership. He said this idea was the furthest from the truth, especially since he believed his continued presence in the National Assembly would damage APNU.

Asked if he does not believe that resignation would indeed hurt the partnership, Sharma responded in the negative, pointing out that rather he believes that his remaining there would hurt the partnership. “Priya would not give up, I would be there and she would continue. Is like I am her little toy…,” Sharma said.

On Thursday, Trotman announced his decision to lift the ban he had imposed on Manickchand, pointing out that when Sharma objected he had said that his father was being impugned and not himself.

“That is something that I reviewed and I had to take note of that. He did not feel that he was the one being impugned but that it was his father. I believe initially that it was a sitting member of this House but by Mr. Sharma’s own words he said, ‘My father’ and that is something that I must take cognizance of,” the Speaker explained.

However, Sharma disagreed with Trotman’s conclusion, pointing out that he was not allowed to complete his statement before the Speaker interrupted and then himself and the minister had a back and forth before he banned her. Sharma, who was also offended that Trotman described the issue as a “minor incident” between himself and Manickchand, said that he was the one who was offended and not his father, who was not in the House at the time.

“I feel the minister was trying to embarrass me,” Sharma said, pointing out that he nor his father are “cry a babies” and that it was never his intention to ask the minister to apologise to his father. The former parliamentarian indicated that while his father is facing statutory rape charges, he (Jaipaul) should not be crucified because of this. He also noted that the matter would be decided in a court of law and it is not for him to pronounce on the guilt or innocence of his father.

Sharma told Stabroek News that he may have been somewhat confused when he stood to his feet to object since he was not prepared for the issue and was still new to parliamentary procedures. However, he maintained that he was offended by the minister.

“I admire the Speaker and I told him this in my resignation letter. But for him to do this and not ensure the minister apologise and to try to say I was not offended, I am totally annoyed,” he explained.

He said was “hurt” over the entire situation and he revealed that he had about 40 questions to ask about the education sector during the consideration of the budget estimates and he noted that he would have been uncomfortable to pose the questions to the minister. He said that it is not the first time the minister had made mention of his father’s charges and he felt that she was making him (Jaipaul) “her toy.” The former MP said he is the only Sharma sitting in the House and the minister would be well aware that he would be the only member of the family who would be offended when she makes her remarks in the National Assembly.

He also pointed to the minister’s comments on Wednesday when she stated that she did not intend to disrupt APNU Volda Lawrence’s presentation when she made the comment and he questioned the purpose of her heckling in light of the claim. “When you heckle is to throw off the person who speaking, so if she did not want to disrupt Ms Lawrence then her intention was to offend me,” Sharma said.

He also mentioned the case last year when APNU member Vanessa Kissoon had to apologise to Minister of Works Robeson Benn after she made a comment about a relative of his who was in trouble with the law. Trotman has also repeatedly said that the family of members should not be made the business of the House.

Sharma also said that he was upset that Trotman delayed informing the House that he had resigned.

On Thursday, in announcing that that Sharma delivered his resignation letter to the Parliament Office sometime after midday on that day, Trotman said he had delayed making the announcement as he believed that the letter was not final. “Every effort should be made by all of us collectively to convince Mr Sharma that he played a very, very vital role in this House and that he is very much appreciated,” he said.

Sharma said he saw this as “eye pass” because it gave the impression that he acted rashly and did not know what he was doing. He said that it is not only Trotman who felt that his decision was not final but also many Members of the Parliament who have been calling him and indicating that he should return to Parliament.

“Why should I be getting calls at 1 and 2 o’clock in the morning telling me Sharma you should go back to Parliament?” he questioned.

Sharma admitted that he had not tendered his resignation to APNU but noted that he had indicated his decision to its Leader David Granger earlier in the day. He said how he understands the process is that he has to send the resignation to the Speaker, who would then inform the House.

He noted that he had sent the resignation early Thursday so that Trotman could make an early announcement and in turn the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) would be informed and given adequate time for a replacement to be extracted from APNU’s list of candidates. He felt that had the announcement been made early, a replacement could have been sworn in by yesterday, which was his hope. However, he said up to yesterday morning, Gecom was not officially informed of his resignation.

Sharma said he wanted his seat to be filled as quickly as possible to ensure that the estimates can be properly scrutinised. He pointed out that if there is a tie in the votes for any sector that is being considered, it would mean that the sector would have no money for the budgetary year.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2014/news/guyana/04/05/sharma-stands-ground-resignation/

Dear Editor,

Having had the opportunity to meet Ms Priya Manickchand in the course of my attachment to NCERD, I concluded that she has a strong sense of justice and is totally dedicated to the protection of the children of the nation making efforts towards achieving the best for them in the education sector. She demands quality from her professionals.

 Yours faithfully,

Krishna Nand Prasad

Head (ag)

Learning Resources

Development Unit

Ministry of Education

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2014/opinion/letters/04/05/respects-manickchand-sincere-message-parliament/

Dear Editor,

In the explanation of her refusal to apologise to MP Jaipaul Sharma, which we saw on Wednesday, the Minister of Education, Ms Priya Manickchand said that if she apologized she would be betraying the victims of rape and paedophilia: “I cannot abandon them just to keep the National Assembly happy,” she explained.

The victims of rape and paedophilia are not supported by grandstanding declarations.

Rather than use Mr Sharma as a vehicle for her commitment not to betray victims of rape and paedophilia, we would urge the Minister to use her good offices and considerable influence and knowledge of the sexual offences laws within her party and government to ensure that the Sexual Offences Act is enforced fully throughout Guyana.

The victims of rape and paedophilia in Guyana urgently need to have the backlog of sexual offences cases which fall under both the old and new sexual offence laws fast tracked.

Special courts should be set up for this if needs be. We know that the majority of survivors of sexual offences in Guyana are children, many of whom have been waiting for over five or even ten years to have their cases heard.  Is this the justice they deserve? Up to the time of the amendment to the SOA 2010, there was already a backlog of over one hundred cases.

The victims of rape and paedophilia in Guyana need professional and  proper investigations of sexual offences cases and the courts need access to DNA evidence, which will do more to instil confidence in the justice system than the poor and questionable police investigations that often lead to dismissals of matters. They need comprehensive services from special units set up in every hospital or, where no hospitals are available, other appropriate venues, where services are centralized and victim-centered, with nurses trained in the gathering of forensic evidence and treatment of rape and sexual assault survivors, trained counsellors to address the psychological and physical trauma, and trained police officers to take statements in a humane and professional manner. They also need court advocates to attend to their and their families’ needs throughout the court process.

The victims of rape and paedophilia need to have the Sexual Offences Task Force convened and resourced without delay so that the national plan of action for the prevention  of sexual offences can become a reality, and more importantly,  be enforced without fear or favour regardless of status and income, sex, sexual orientation,  ethnicity,  geography, age or disability.

The victims of rape and paedophilia need to have ongoing education about the provisions of the Sexual Offences Act organized so that the population is informed about the law, including the wider definition of rape and consent, and the inclusion of new sexual offences, special orders for the safety of survivors, and compensation for survivors of sexual offences.

It is true that, as Minister Manickchand has said, the psychological and physical effects of sexual violence on survivors are far reaching and severe.  They sometimes result in damage that may be permanent, including anxiety and depression; post-traumatic stress and panic disorders; fear; shame; inability to trust and form lasting relationships especially for young persons; high risk sexual behaviour; a high risk of perpetrating sexual violence (for boys), and a high risk of experiencing subsequent sexual violence (for girls). Some rape survivors have to undergo reconstructive surgery as a result of brutal rapes. Other victims are raped and killed. The victims of rape and paedophilia in Guyana need those in authority, armoured with this knowledge, to ensure that the demands we have outlined above are implemented. This would be the very best way of ensuring that the victims of rape and paedophilia in Guyana are not abandoned.

Yours faithfully,

Danuta Radzik

Denise Dias

Josephine Whitehead

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2014/opinion/letters/04/05/victims-rape-paedophilia-supported-grandstanding-declarations/