Senator: Abused women get little help

MORE help must be given to the numerous women who fall victim to sexual assault/abuse, implored Independent Senator Charrise Seepersad in the Senate on Tuesday, speaking on the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill 2021.

She said a recent report by the Inter American Development Bank said 20 per cent of women surveyed in TT said they were victims of sexual assault but few had reported it.

"Reasons for not reporting including social shame, fear, the tedious legal process, and lack of access to redress and justice."

Seepersad was glad the MeToo movement had emboldened women of all backgrounds to come forward.

"Nevertheless victims suffer permanent psychological scars.

"Imagine one in five women suffering unspeakable trauma in silence, and having very little or no support mechanisms.

"Imagine daily having to pretend that life is normal, that life is okay."

She said it was critically urgent to make every effort to prevent such offences.

"I firmly believe that victims require state-provided, well-resourced, dedicated, ongoing services to deal with the mental, physical and emotional trauma."

She said since the Sexual Offences Act was passed in 2019, some 326 people had been charged with sexual offences, yet the National Sex Offenders Register lists only one perpetrator.

"Hundreds of sex offenders registered prior to the new law in 2019 cannot be placed on the register as retrospective punishment because it is unconstitutional."

Seepersad urged that a TT register be linked to similar in the US and Europe and that measures be taken to stop offenders contacting children on social media.