OCHO RIOS, St Ann – The St Mary police say they are moving to stem the rise in carnal abuse in the parish, despite the acquittal of all cases brought before the court in the past two years.

According to Constabulary Communications Network (CCN) parish liaison officer Corporal Angella McTaggart, the St Mary police have been charging parents of girls who have been carnally abused, in accordance with Section 9 of the Child Care and Protection Act of 2004.

“There are four (parents) still before the courts, who have been charged either with negligence or aiding and abetting, relating to acts that have taken place this year,” McTaggart told the Observer.

She said, too, that the police, after meeting with stakeholders, would be holding workshops, to educate and inform the public of the different sexual offences, in an effort to overcome ignorance being shown by some parents.

The workshops will be held in schools and in various communities throughout the parish.

“The fact is, persons seem not to be knowledgeable, but once a child is underage it is wrong for any sexual contact to be made. In carnal abuse, the only thing that matters is that sex took place – that’s the only thing that makes the act an offence,” McTaggart said.

She added that irrespective of the relationship between the child and the perpetrator, as long as the child is underage and sexual contact is made, it is an offence.

For the first two months of this year there have been five reported cases of carnal abuse in St Mary, up from three last year.

But all the accused have walked free, as the victims and their families have shown little or no interest in testifying.

The police are expecting their efforts to either lead to a reduction in the number of carnal abuse cases and/or to conviction of perpetrators.

According to the Child Care and Protection Act:

. A person commits an offence if that person, being an adult and having the custody, charge or care of any child wilfully:

(a) assaults, physically or mentally ill-treats, neglects, abandons or exposes such a child; or (b) causes or procures the child to be assaulted, physically or mentally ill-treated, neglected, abandoned or exposed, in a manner likely to cause that child unnecessary suffering or injury to health (including injury to or loss of sight, or hearing, or limb, or organ of the body, or any mental derangement).

A person who commits such an offence shall be liable, on conviction on indictment in a Circuit Court, to a fine or to imprisonment with hard labour for a term not exceeding five years, or to both such fine and imprisonment; or, on summary conviction before a resident magistrate, to a fine not exceeding one million dollars or to imprisonment with hard labour for a term not exceeding three years, or to both such fine and imprisonment.