The recent spike in reports of sexual assault is alarming. Tonight there is another. A 13 year old of San Pedro Town reported that on Sunday morning at 5:45 she was awakened by someone touching her. The intruder then placed a knife on her throat. Police have arrested a 16 year minor of DFC area for aggravated burglary and aggravated assault. Today the Women’s Issues Network sent out a release saying that stiffer penalties must be applied. Jacqueline Godwin found out more but before we present the story, we warn you that it features scenes of a graphic nature – which are not suitable for children.

Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
What you are looking at is a dramatization of a young woman being raped. The video was provided to us by the Women’s Issues Network of Belize – WIN Belize. And while the characters are only actors, that was not the case for a total of five women in just over a week who have been physically assaulted, sexually molested and raped. Equally disturbing is the fact that two of the victims were a fifty three year old woman and sixty year old woman.

But why do women continue to be viciously attacked? Well according to the Women’s Issues Network in a press release, there are laws to protect victims of all forms of abuse but for some reason or the other the laws are not enforced.

Florence Goldson, Programme Officer – WIN-Belize
“Jackie I do not believe it is doing all it can. I think there is lots more that could be done which is why WIN-Belize issued the release. We are very concerned that eventhough we have international conventions that we’ve ratified, we have our constitution which is supposed to protect us, we have laws and policies in place that are supposed to be able to give us the legal protection that we need in order to protect women from violence when perpetrators are brought to the justice system. However when the justice system does not adequately use all the tools at its fingers in order to protect us then we have cases where perpetrators are released, they are given minimal years to serve to time when they’ve committed violence against women and they are released and do crimes and then they are offered bail, they are allowed to live in our communities and to go around and violently again attacking our women. We need to say enough. It is not okay, it not okay for people to be hurt, to be killed, to be unsafe in their homes.”

Today WIN-Belize call appealed to Belize’s justice system and the society to adopt a zero tolerance stance in opposition to violence against women.

Florence Goldson,
“Women suffer violence throughout their life cycle from birth to elder years. There is a possibility for women to be abused and to be victims of violence and so it is troubling when it happens at any area or any period of the woman’s life cycle and I think what it is showing when these cases happen and continue to happen, it is saying how we view women and girls.”

Jacqueline Godwin reporting for 7News.