Only about 10 per cent of sexual assault cases result in convictions, Manager of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit, Dr Cona Husbands, said on Tuesday.
Dr Husbands was speaking at the “Asking For It” sexual assault awareness exhibition, held at the Umana Yana, as Sexual Assault Awareness Month begins.
She noted that there is a significant number of sexual assault cases in Guyana, with approximately 300 cases reported every month.
More than 90 per cent of these cases involve women, while less than 10 per cent involve men, and 70 per cent of victims are children under the age of 18.
“We, as a country, we, as advocates against sexual violence—this is us trying to raise awareness about this issue so we can do our part. And lastly, less than 10 per cent of the cases are convicted… more than 50 per cent go to court, and less than 10 per cent of those cases actually result in convictions. So we can see what is happening here, and we can see why we decided to talk about sexual assault, to raise awareness, to have an exhibition, and to showcase the stories of survivors who have endured it,” Dr Husbands said.
Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud, in delivering the keynote address, urged everyone to come together to put an end to sexual assault, emphasising that the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security cannot do it alone.
“Safety, security, trust—those are not just words, they are things we feel. These should be things that we always experience. But we live in a reality, both globally and nationally, where those words are placed in the same sentence as trauma, scars, fears, threats, intimidation, blame, and guilt. It brings home, to me and I’m sure to you this morning, how much more needs to be done and how very real the people behind these statistics are,” she stated.
Meanwhile, Executive Director of Imperial House, Wasim Khan, also called for perpetrators of sexual assault to be held accountable.
“These stories are not just theirs; they belong to us because they happened here, in our country, in our villages, in our communities. They serve as reminders of our collective responsibility to stand against injustice, hold perpetrators accountable, and create spaces filled with empathy and support. Too often, we hear the wrong questions: ‘What was she wearing?’ ‘Why was she out so late?’ These questions shift blame from the perpetrators, silence survivors, and excuse the violence. But today, we push back. We challenge these harmful narratives and affirm that the only one responsible for violence is the one who commits it,” he said.
The exhibition featured stories told by actual victims of sexual assault, along with depictions of the clothing they wore during the assault, to raise awareness.
Dr.Cona Husbands
A section of the gathering at the launch
Human Service and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud
