Rape, fire and imagining justice beyond the "law" in Guyana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whose justice? 

• One analysis of how we feel about law and the justice system in Guyana shows that only about half of us generally trust the justice system. 
• Most of us - 66%-   believe that the justice system does NOT provide adequate protection and care when in the justice systems.
• Cynics know that the verdicts in the courts depend on the skills of the defence lawyers and the prosecution. And that there are technicalities which can be missed.
• 'Not guilty' does not mean innocent.   
• It is not clear what the 'conviction' rate is and what impact this has on the prevention of sexual violence in Guyana
• Section 87 of the Sexual Offences Act talks about a National Task Force for the Prevention of Sexual Offences. The President is supposed to convene the Task Force. As with many other things, there has never been any sensible convening, no sensible working of it, no plan or sensible working of the plan. 
• Sexual violence thrives in rape culture where we have a high tolerance for some forms of sexual violence, while selectively condemning others. 
• Sexual violence thrives in a culture of shaming of those who have survived ; of not giving space for voices
  
• Sexual violence thrives in the culture where there is  a rush  to deny and prove 'innocence' rather than look at accountability and healing.  

 

Imagining justice beyond the law

•  Justice beyond the law recognises that the children who have experienced sexual violence react in different ways. 
• Justice beyond the law recognises that public officials should be removed from their posts when they are dealing with allegations of sexual violence.
  
• Justice beyond the law recognises that the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and the Ministry of Local Government need healing as the allegations include people who knew about the sexual violence
• Justice beyond the law recognises that the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, and the Ministry of Local Government are the places from which allegations took place.
• Justice beyond the law recognises that there is a connection between the lack of accountability from the Government - the Ministry of Local Government and the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs especially - for the deaths in the Mahdia fires, and for the continued allegations of sexual violence in the communities by people associated with the Ministries
• Justice beyond the law means transforming the culture of discrimination against indigenous peoples. 
  
• Justice beyond the law recognises that many survivors have no space to share when the 'process' silences them rather than enables them to talk
• Justice beyond the law recognises that many others are afraid to speak out, that they fear those who enable the rapists and abusers
• Justice beyond the law recognises that comprehensive sexuality education is needed in all schools, where children and young people understand consent, their bodies , their desires and healthy ways of dealing with desires.
• Justice beyond the law recognises that many adults also need to understand consent, their bodies and desires, and healthy ways of dealing with the desires.
  
• Justice beyond the law recognises that the denial and silence enables more sexual violence rather than stops it.
• Justice beyond the law recognises that many men are also afraid to speak out. 
• Justice beyond the law recognises that space is needed to speak out, to shout and to scream about the injustices, and the violence which cannot be reported because there is no 'evidence'.
• Justice beyond the law  will happen when we listen and commit to safety and respect for every citizen, when we deal with the histories of violence and are able to examine our tolerance for violence.
• Justice beyond the law is about transforming rape culture, for the political parties and other power based organisations to look at how they could prevent gender-based violence in those parties, how they could encourage accountability and healing rather than pretend that it is only a problem for other people.
• Justice beyond the law is about a communal vision of what justice beyond the law should look like, and working towards it.
  

 

Feature image by Vo Danh on Unsplash