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Sex offender registry petition created

Sexual assault of minors and domestic abuse continue to plague Barbados (Photo by Stephanie Chase)
By Dwayne Gibbs on Thursday, 21 April, 2022 at 11:10 AM

Social media influencer and educator Stephanie Chase, recently started a petition on change.org to have local sex offenders registered in an online database. Chase said the main drive behind her starting the petition was to safeguard, primarily children, from the abuse perpetrated by persons with such proclivities.


As at the time of this report, the petition had amassed almost 500 signatures and Chase is urging people to understand the importance of this initiative because of the cascading effect sexual assault can have on children and even adults in years to come.

Chase explained that with too many abused children in Barbados the violation needs to come to an end.

 “Abused children are in no shape to defend their rights. Too many children in Barbados are sexually assaulted by trusted individuals who are known to them or members of their family. Women who are victims of sexual abuse or domestic violence are often blamed or shamed for the situation or circumstances that led to them being violated and this needs to stop.”


Chase explained how the information being shown on the registry could be useful to members of the public with children in terms of determining where to live, areas to visit and could even assist police with investigations as it pertains to understanding the previous patterns of suspects.


Chase, who is a teacher at Graydon Sealy Secondary also said: “As an educator I can tell you that I have seen sexual abuse and neglect traumatize children leading to self-harm and behavioral issues, causing them to fall through the cracks of the judicial system. Victims need to be empowered to speak out and the narrative in this country needs to change.”
When asked what she thinks will happen if enough people sign the petition, Chase said at that point a meeting with the Attorney General could be requested and some form of engagement may happen between policy makers and social partners.

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