550 women raped since January
published: Sunday | July 25, 2004

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

MORE THAN 500 women have been raped in Jamaica since the start of 2004. There were 931 reported cases in Jamaica during 2003.

These startling statstics come from the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN), which reports that sexual attacks on women are on the rise across the country.

"These incidents are not concentrated in one area, it's all over," said Detective Inspector Keith Barrett of the Statistics department at the CCN.

On Thursday, Mr. Barrett told The Sunday Gleaner that up to last week, 550 women had been raped. And these are just the cases that have been reported to the police.

These figures, he disclosed, do not include carnal abuse cases. In their attacks which stretch across the island, rapists do not discriminate against age as very elderly women are raped too, The Sunday Gleaner learned.

However some of the rapists had been using condoms in their attacks.

Dr. Veronica Salter, a psychologist with the Crisis Centre for Women which offers counselling to rape victims, is not surprised at the CCN numbers.

"I don't think there's been an increase, we always have a lot of rape cases." She says the figures may well be higher but many cases are never reported to the police.

"We try and encourage them (victims) to go to the police but a lot of them don't want to go," said Dr. Salter. "They go through a variety of moods... shame, anger, sadness. A lot of the times there is total traumatisation."

There were several reports last year of sexual attacks on women.

The most publicised was the rape and murder of teenager Janealle Blair of Old Harbour in July, and female passengers travelling by route taxis from Spanish Town to Old Harbour complained that there were attempts by taxi drivers to sexually assault them.

In the aftermath of Janelle Blair's killing, there were beefed-up police patrols in the Spanish Town/Old Harbour area. Such developments prompt the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) to make women more aware.

"Once we see a trend developing we use the media to sensitise women. That's what happened in the case of the taxis last year," said the CISOCA's Inspector Duetress Foster-Gardner. She told The Sunday Gleaner that most of the assaulted women are teenagers or young adults.

Inspector Foster-Gardner says the single female is a prime target for rapists, especially when walking in unfamiliar areas and asking for directions. She says there have also been cases of lonely women who share close relationships with brother-type figures, being assaulted by their confidants.

Formerly known as the Rape Unit, the CISOCA the Jamaica Constabulary Force's department helps investigate various forms of sexual abuse. It has eight branches across the country and collaborates with the Victims Support Services, private doctors and hospitals to provide counselling for women and children who have been raped or physically abused.

Inspector Foster-Gardner has worked with the Rape Unit and CISOCA for 13 years. She reports that in recent times the police have utilised DNA (swabbing of the mouth or blood samples) with great effect in the capture of rapists.

However, she says the police face some problems when it comes to charging alleged offenders. Probably the biggest hurdle is the refusal of victims to testify in court due to fear or because they are still traumatised by their ordeal.

The DNA process can also be frustrating as accused rapists are not mandated by law to give blood for testing.

"Sooner or later they (offenders) are caught after they attempt to rape again," said Inspector Foster-Gardner.

Persons found guilty of rape are imprisoned depending on the severity of their crime with a 10-year stretch being the minimum sentence. The maximum sentence is life imprisonment.