by JP Schwmon #SituationUpdates
Introducing a private members’ bill to the Vincentian House of Assembly is one of Rise Hairouna’s current priorities. This is according to “the guardian of democracy” NGO’s vice president, Charles Sampson, as he addressed the organization’s first media conference last Tuesday.
Referencing the outcome of the most recent child sexual assault case that was prosecuted in St. Vincent, Sampson noted: “the powers that be doesn’t seem to take this matter seriously and should they not take this matter seriously, we are actually exploring bringing a private members’ bill to Parliament because we have to do something to protect the young people of our country.
“And if the politicians are not doing it, we are looking into the possibility as to whether or not it is possible for us to bring a bill to Parliament. And let the politicians vote it down and then they can explain to the people why they are refusing to protect the very young people – the country’s future….
“The police statics, themselves, say that more than 60% of the sexual offences that are reported to them are sexual offences against minors this is not acceptable. And we have to ask ourselves – why are the politicians not taking this seriously?”
Asbert News Network caught up with the retired member of the United Kingdom’s naval warfare force in search of further clarity. Sampson told us, exclusively, that his organization is no longer willing to wait on either the Unity Labor Party-led government or the New Democratic Party-led Opposition “to toughen the laws.”
He said: “if the Opposition isn’t doing that, which we think they should, and if the government isn’t going to do it; there is a facility known as the private members’ bill where any private citizen can bring a bill to Parliament on various issues and have it debated then voted on.
“Rise Hairouna could bring such a bill, whether or not it would pass is left to be seen. However, right now we have looked at a draft from the Trinidad [and Tobago] Bill and we are also looking into the British Sexual Offences Act to see what we can draw from.
“Obviously, none of us within Rise Hairouna have ever drafted legislation so it is new territory for us. But [the current situation] is uncomfortable enough that we are willing to enter it [this new territory] so that our women and children in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are protected.”
Sampson, who hails from Lowmans Windward, further noted: “as our Bill stands, it doesn’t really cover what you call sexual assault – it talks about rape but there is no such thing as sexual assault in our legislation.
“The young man only ended up [being sentenced to] 4 years because according to our laws what he did was not sex. Even though he penetrated his daughter’s mouth – our law covers natural and unnatural sex meaning penetration of the vagina and of the anus [respectively].
“It doesn’t cover penetration of the mouth; so if you rape a person but only penetrate their mouth it is not seen as rape. Our legislation is not fit for purpose, it does not cover some of the new things that young people like yourselves might be indulging in sexually.”
Sampson further noted that his grassroots grown, diaspora-led non-governmental organization is also exploring bringing a class action lawsuit against the Vincentian government. This, he claimed, would ease the financial burden of individuals who allege several grievances primarily against the local police service and want to sue for legal redress.
“Individually, trying to sue the government could be very expensive and because they know that the police are acting ultra vires meaning that they are acting outside of the scope of the law. A lot of things that they are doing is actually illegal, they are not acting within the law.”
The Rise Hairouna VP did not divulge the progress to date of the NGO’s pending class action suit.
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