Parliament Member Criticizes Slow Justice for Rape Victims & Calls for Fair Treatment of Accused in Barbados

A backbencher in Parliament has criticised the slow pace of justice for rape victims in Barbados but has also called for some protection for rape accused, who are often condemned for life by society even if they are found to be innocent.

Dr Sonia Browne, Member of Parliament for St Philip North, told the House of Assembly on Tuesday that it was wrong to have people who were sexually violated as children face their accusers sometimes a decade later as adults.

Her comments came as the Lower House debated the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill 2024.

“Rape, it follows a person. I can’t speak of obviously personal experience, but I have had people close to me in terms of patients and so on, and regardless of the age that this happened, the assault, the abuse, it goes with them almost . . . for life,” Dr Browne told the House.

“Some manage to put it behind them in terms of subconscious, but invariably, it always comes up. And one of the things that I want to blame for this is the speed, or lack thereof, of the court system in Barbados…. I have seen people who have been raped at 10 years old and 10 years later, 14 years later, [the case] never came to a resolution.

“One in particular, she just decided to drop the case for fear that people might find out it’s her; for fear that she has a good job now and she doesn’t want that to be a part of it because Barbados is small, and things come out,” the MP told her colleagues.

At the same time, the medical doctor insisted that protections ought to be provided to those who have been accused of rape and other sexual offences as well.

She cautioned that a person who is charged based on an allegation is often smeared for life in Barbadian society, even if he is found innocent in the court or it was uncovered that the rape allegation was a lie.

“I have had a personal friend that picked up a lady on the way, and the person asked for money. [They said] if you don’t give me money, I will report you to police for rape. Before you know it, the person is in court, name all over the newspaper . . . all over the news, and if that person happens to be innocent . . . it doesn’t matter.

“You have that stain, so sometimes I think we need to start moving in the direction of protecting both the accused and the accuser. [I’m] not supporting rape by any measure, but every case is not a guilty case,” Dr Browne argued.

(IMC1)