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Govt official relative P

| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt official arrested for alleged rape of 13-year-old relative

AGovernment official was on Monday arrested, after he was accused of raping and ultimately impregnating a 13-year-old relative.

According to the police, the man was arrested and escorted to the Karasabai Police Station, South Pakaraimas, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), where an investigation was launched.

Guyana Times understands that the teenager is now four months pregnant. Based on the allegation and seriousness of the matter, the official was transported to the Lethem Police Station, where he is currently being held.

The teenager was medically examined which proved that she is pregnant.

For last year, 61 per cent of cases slated for the Demerara Azizes constituted of rape charges solely.

The need for more counselling to be done in sexual abuse cases was highlighted in a report from NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO) ChildLink about child sexual abuse in Guyana. It was suggested that such services have been improved to help affected children recover.

The report reflected that in 2014, 3883 cases of child abuse were reported to the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA) of which 628 (or 16 per cent) were child sexual abuse cases.

In 2017, the CC&PA saw a total of 4179 cases of abuse reported, with 841 (20 per cent) of these being child sexual abuse. It was also found that in a period of three years (2014- 2017) there was an increase of five per cent in reported cases of child sexual abuse.

ChildLink had further explained that in 2015 and 2016, the CC&PA received 676 and 734 reports of sexual violence, respectively constituting 15 per cent of the reported cases of abuse against children.

Child sexual abuse is when an adult or older child coerces, forces, or persuades a child into sexual activities, according to ChildLink, which describes the act as crowding, and that there is provision for handwashing. Wearing a mask must also be an important part of the set-up. As it relates to children, you should look after them separately and not have them mingle with the general crowd; you can either set up appointments for them or have a special time alarming and distressing since it causes trauma among other issues for a child. The report suggested that with more counselling, child victims are being enabled and empowered to recount what happened to them.

It was also noted that there was some improvement in the delivery of services to children who have been sexually abused. It has been reported that since the launch of the Sexual Offences Court in November 2017 by the acting Chancellor and the Judiciary, there has been a successful prosecution rate of approximately 80 per cent in child sexual abuse cases that have made it to the specialised court at the High Court

1 new COVID-19 case recorded bringing total positive cases to 206

– active cases remain at 87

There has been one new and so I wish to plead with case of the novel coroour repatriating nationals navirus (COVID-19) to act responsibly and prolocally, increasing the posivide the health authorities tives to 206. with accurate information

Chief Medical Officer, on their arrival. This is the Dr Shamdeo Persaud proonly way that the Ministry vided the daily update on and the surveillance team Tuesday, which showed the will effectively be able to number of deaths remaining monitor you and manage at 12. With 107 recoveries, the COVID -19 situation. there are still 87 active casToday I wish to focus on the es in institutional isolation barbershops and their clienand 22 patients in institutele,” he advised. tional quarantine. At present, the male

One individual was population continues to be transferred in the desigmostly at risk. He stated nated Intensive Care Unit that barbershops are the (ICU) over the past day. venues where many persons

With Guyana at the are accustomed to “congrehelm of repatriating persons gate, socialise and have constranded overseas, the CMO versations on whatever topinsisted that they should folic is current” but presently, low all guidelines and presthey should make the choice ent accurate information to to desist from such risky health officials. practices.

“Guyana is at the cross“The owner of the barberroads in this pandemic. We shop has the responsibility must put a handle on the to ensure that physical disnumber of reported cases, tancing is observed; no over

CMO, Dr Shamdeo Persaud

in Georgetown. when only children will be accommodated,” Dr Persaud advised.

With reports of students contracting the virus, he urged those reporting to school to practice good hygiene and the guidelines outlined. This is the second week of school activities to prepare for the respective examinations.

“A special appeal is being made to you our students. I know that the countdown to your exams has begun… We encourage you and your friends to follow the guidelines which have been outlined for your safety and protection.”

On Monday, the National COVID-19 Task Force held an emergency multi-stakeholder meeting to discuss the alarming increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in parts of Regions One (Barima-Waini) and Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

According to the Task Force, decisions were taken to implement enhanced containment measures within the affected areas in these regions and these will be gazetted shortly. “The enhanced containment measures will include cease work orders for specific areas in the mining sector, screening, wider testing, checkpoints and other measures in several locations within Regions One and Seven. Specific details will be provided subsequently.

These measures are necessary and urgent by the medical experts so as to prevent the wider spread of COVID-19 in these two regions along with other regions,” the Task Force said on Monday evening.

Globally, the total number of positive cases is 8,860,331 with 465,740 deaths. In the region of the Americas, the total number of positive cases is 4,370, 519 with 221,771 deaths.

And here we go…

…off to the CCJ

And no, Dorothy, this is no Yellow Brick Road that’ll lead to the Emerald City to find a Wizard who’ll explain everything. After all, we’ve been down this road before, haven’t we?? Ah…you remember, don’t you, Dear Reader?? Was that time when all the rulers in the land were gathered to decide the fate of our dear Mudland and the PNC mavens were stumped by that abstruse mathematical conundrum that rivalled the Poincaré Conjecture. What was the majority of 65?

The idiots in the Opposition had proposed that since the PNC had captured the Government back in 2015 because they had 33 seats to form a majority in the 65-member House, the answer was 33. What dunderheads!! This was a MATHEMATICAL question, insisted the PNC and, as pointed out by a local Einstein, if you applied it to human affairs, you’d have to chop humans into halves and join them up later. Cause when you’re dealing with humans, a simple majority wouldn’t do – you needed something called an absolute” majority – which evidently involved the aforementioned dismemberments! A pretty messy business, all around!!

Anyhow, the Lords of the CCJ over in the Land of Carnival didn’t so much solve our problem as tell us in so many words that we ought to settle our business among ourselves since the question posed about “majorities” really needed no “gloss”. Which was just their fancy way of saying that any idiot could’ve solved it. And not even an idiot savant!! So, we returned home and of course, nothing was solved! So here we are, going back for a repeat performance – this time to ask what’s the difference between “more votes than” and “more valid votes than”.

Another deep and philosophical question, obviously. Your Eyewitness assumes it has to do with that word “valid” which the PNC got the Court of Appeal to insert into the Constitution. But what does your Eyewitness know since he figures it’ll be just like those votes which got the PNC elected back in 2015. GECOM had pronounced those votes valid then so why couldn’t they do the same this time?? Or did the PNC slink into office with “invalid” votes??

But we do know that we’re just going around in circles, don’t we? As Burnham used to say, these objections about “majorities” and “valid votes”, etc, are merely the OCCASION for the war – not the CAUSE of the war!!

And it IS a war – one fought by rules that the PNC makes up as it goes along. The sooner the PPP realises this, the quicker we’ll have a solution.

The Yellow Brick Road was always there – just go past the PNC’s bullshit.

…waiting on Claudette

The absurdist play “Waiting for Godot” came out the same year we had our first elections using universal franchise. It was about two fellas talking about everything under the sun – which just illustrates the meaninglessness of life – as they wait for a friend Godot, to arrive. He never does. The two chaps could well have been Cheddi and Forbes – today represented by Jagdeo and Granger – waiting for their friend “Justice” to arrive.

Today, that’s represented by GECOM Chair Claudette who’s supposed to show up and impose some order on the chaos unfolding out of the elections. Elections are supposed to solve the problems in our dear land, no?? Problem is, they’re literally CONTESTED events!! Can’t get more divisive than that!! And for this reason, we agreed to a system where someone agreeable to both sides would be the umpire, so to speak.

Problem is, Claudette seems too coquettish about her role. She seems not wanting to displease either side. She doesn’t have to.

Just dismiss Lowenfield’s concoction and dispense justice!!

…with the cad and bounder

Granger might’ve been an officer, but he was never a gentleman. No gentleman would play the kind of dirty pool like him from the moment he assumed office on the backs of the AFC.

Even if they were willing to be doormats.

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