Relatives among sex predators

PASTORS, teachers, boyfriends, uncles and grandfathers are among sex predators who are contributing to the rising number of rape cases in Lae.
“There is an alarming rise in rape cases and the victims are aged 16 and below, including minors under 12 since mid-2017 to last year,” Lae Metropolitan Commander Anthony Wagambie Jr said.
Expressing concern that the cases are rising even faster this year, he said: “(It is time for) parents and communities to help law enforcing agencies to find an amicable way to address the crime.
“These sexual offences involve pastors, teachers in elementary, primary and secondary schools, boyfriends, uncles and bubu’s (grandfathers).
“Recently, two girls, aged 10 and 15, were raped by two principal directors from two schools,” he said.
Wagambie said the rate of major and petty crimes had dropped after initiating a sector response unit (SRU) to help in crime prevention.
“The deploying of a mobile squad and a task force, the inception of a police toll free number and a Facebook page had helped in lowering major and petty crime rates,” he added.
Wagambie said: “Rapes involving girls aged 16 and below, including minors under 12, are occurring daily and unreported because parents and relatives resort to seeking compensation.
“These parents and relatives don’t understand how the girls are traumatised, affecting them psychologically and certainly their future.”
Sexual offences officer-in-charge Sgt Mary Watah said most cases reported for police investigations were girls aged 16 and below.
“We receive four to five cases a month but most cases that occur daily, unfortunately, go unreported,” she said.
“After two weeks or a month, they will come to us when compensation negotiations break down.”
Watah added that police would not investigate consensual sex between boyfriend and girlfriend.