THE EDITOR:
ON behalf of the Board and management of the Crisis Centre Corporation I extend our heartfelt sympathies to the recent rape victims and to all who have been victims of violent crimes on our island. The Crisis Centre strongly condemns all acts of violence against women, children and men, whether it is rapes, mutilations, murders etc.
I mentioned to a class of secondary school students on Wednesday that God made Eve by putting Adam to sleep and taking one of his ribs, closed up the flesh in its place, and with that rib He made woman. God, in His wisdom did not take a bone from Adam’s foot but from his ribs which is close to his heart. Therefore, men should always cherish their mothers, wives, daughters and by extension all women.
However, we see the opposite happening in our fair island. The way we treat our elderly women, young women and children leaves much to be desired. There are a number of maladies that plague us, the justice system needs fixing, the remand population is too high as cases do not get called. Remember, justice delayed is justice denied, and that justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done. The Crime Lab has to be re-opened at the soonest as the status of samples stored in it of rape victims and other cases may be compromised or may have disintegrated because of the closure.
The churches need to work with government to bring some semblance of spirituality to the nation. There is not sufficient emphasis on godly living rather we see a proliferation of the occult.
However, in all of this there is still hope. As we mark our 37th. year of Independence, we under God can make meaningful changes. For all that it is worth, let me reassure our women folk that the perpetrators of those heinous crimes are not a reflection of our loving, and law abiding men. Those culprits who hurt you are a small nucleus of miscreants, some the system may be able to rehabilitate and others it may not.
The doors of the Crisis Centre remain open to all victims of rapes and domestic violence for counselling. No one will be turned away as we continue to re-educate our society. Let me end by saying that this behaviour in our society will not be tolerated as our women and children are our prized possessions. The only reason we continue to face this dilemma in St. Lucia is because our good men have been silent for too long.
STEPHEN LAMBERT
VICE- PRESIDENT