Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore, Staff Reporter
Millicentwas about four years old when her aunt's boyfriend inde-cently assaulted her. The experience was so traumatic she blocked it out until she was in her 20s.
Though she cannot recall the exact date, she started to remember her horrific past. She suspects it might be after she got her first job. She went to do a medical that included a Pap smear and found out she had a sexually transmitted disease. "Maybe it was in that space I began to search for answers," she said.
She told Flair she recalls being between ages four and eight when the fondling started. Her aunt's boyfriend was the baby-sitter for herself and a younger cousin.
"He used to bounce us up and down in his lap so we touched his penis. I also recalled us being under the covers with him on the bed. There was fondling but at that age, I didn't have a sense of disgust, fear or terror."
She also suffered at the hands of her stepfather. "I remembered
waking up to someone trying to push their tongue in my mouth and clenching my teeth. I took a peek but didn't want the person to
know that I was awake. It was my stepfather. He held his penis in his hands while he rubbed it against my vagina."
Fortunately for her, someone called out to him and he got up and ran out the room. "I remembered being so terrified."
Remembers being molested
She told Flair that though she remembers being molested, she doesn't recall that any of her abusers penetrated her. Millicent had to get therapy after she
discovered the truth about her past. During therapy, she found out that she had suppressed anger towards her mother. Her mother's job kept her away from home most of the time and her stepfather was the one who cared for her.
Millicent went through the healing stages of anger, recognition, healing, and forgiving. In spite of the cruelty she suffered from her stepfather, she has forgiven him.
"I feel a deep sense of compassion for him. I feel the need to reach out and help him as well as women and men who are sexual abusers."
Therapy aside, she still has a hard time in her sex life. "I found it difficult to enjoy petting during sexual intercourse. Even now I
tell my partner not to do it too much and I suspect my stepfather did it to me."
Fearful of rape
Millicent's past has also resulted in fear of being raped. Though
technically she was not raped, her sexuality was invaded. She is not totally healed because minor incidents make her know she's not fine at all.
"I remembered being in a session about sexual abuse and weeping uncontrollably. I realised then that I was not over it."
Like Millicent, many young girls' lives have been destroyed by incest, indecent assault and rape. In 2006, there were a total of 1,389 reported sexual offences cases and of that number, 826 have been cleared
up. The figures for incest have
fluctuated over the past five years. Between 2000 and 2005, there have been 195 reported cases.
Statistics for sexual offences for 2006
| Sexual Offences |
|---|
| Reported Cases |
| cases | solved |
| Incest | 28 | 20 |
| Rape | 707 | 367 |
| Carnal abuse | 433 | 268 |
Indecent
assault | 149 | 123 |
| Buggery | 21 | 17 |
| Attempted rape | 11 | 3 |
| Assault/rape | 38 | 26 |
Gross
indecency | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 1,389 | 826 |
|
According to the Incest Punishment Act: "Any male who has carnal knowledge of a female, who is to his knowledge his
grand-daughter, daughter, sister, or mother, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour and on conviction therefore before a circuit court, shall be liable to imprisonment with hard labour, provided that the female is under the age of 12 years, to imprisonment with hard labour for any term not exceeding 16 years."
Incidents not Reported
Like Millicent, many victims of sexual assault, especially incest, are not reported. Acting Deputy Superintendent of Police Herfa Beckford at the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse, said that most times when children are sexually assaulted, especially by family members, it takes a long time for them to report it. She said sometimes cases are not reported for as long as three years later. She added that incest and buggery are the least reported cases.
Beckford said some people may be protecting their family image. "It may also be a case where it is the father who is sexually assaulting the child and he is also the breadwinner and the mother is unemployed. The victim may not want to lose the money so she might not report it," she said. She further stated that it occurs across all levels of society.
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