Three South Georgetown females, including an 11-year-old, who were gang-raped last Friday and were struggling to get help up to Wednesday are expected to receive counselling services from today.

Woman gang-raped by three officers  Cambio-Hussain-robbed

And a top probation and family welfare official declared that it was time the country established a crisis centre which could take care of rape and other victims on a 24-hour basis.

Following an article in this newspaper yesterday two counselling services have offered to help the victims - a 48-year-old, an 11-year-old and a 16-year-old.

Stabroek News was assured that all the necessary arrangements have been worked out and the victims would begin to receive the much-needed assistance from today.

Four armed men masked with black stockings broke into the victims' two-bedroom home last Friday around 3 am and brutally raped them in a one-hour spree, cutting off their underwear with knives while performing vicious sexual acts on them. The men dealt with the 11-year-old severely and she vomited blood during the ordeal, while the others lay helplessly with guns raised to their heads. Up to press time last night the child was still feeling dizzy, though her mother had secured medication for her.

Police Public Relations Officer, John Sauers assured this newspaper that investigations were ongoing. The victims acknowledge that they have been in touch with the police since the incident. The cops responded to two tips but they were too late as the bandits fled the scene. On Wednesday the victims complained to this newspaper that they were not receiving any sort of help, especially counselling, after the ordeal.

They said other than the PNCR which offered them food hampers and promised counselling only one other women's organisation went to their home and it also promised them counselling but had not delivered.

Asked about her department's response to the victims, Chief Probation and Family Welfare Officer within the Ministry of Human Services, Ann Greene said they offered a professional service and this could not be administered haphazardly. Greene pointed out that no one, not even the police had referred the victims to the ministry and even though they learned about the incident through the press it was not proper for them to just turn up at the victims' home. She said those who were in touch with the victims should have channelled them to the ministry. Up to yesterday no one from the ministry had made contact with the family and Greene said it would remain so until the victims request the help.

"They (the victims) have to want our help. We cannot just invade their privacy like that - they have to request our help and we would respond in a professional manner," Greene said.

On the issue of a crisis centre a top probation officer said such a facility was long overdue in Guyana. Accord-ing to the officer, Jamaica offered such a service and it was crucial that Guyana follow suit as there has been an increase in domestic abuse and other social problems that would require such a facility.

With regard to the brutal rape of the three women, the officer said magistrates and judges would have to get tough on offenders so as to serve as a deterrent.

The officer observed that the situation was becoming a major problem in society, especially with bandits now raping their victims. The officer believes too that the police have to do more work in bringing the perpetrators to justice. "We can say all we want but if the rapists are not caught the magistrates and judges can't do anything and they (the rapists) are allowed to continue their acts."

Stabroek News was told that the two girls had only recently moved into the community and once they did a band of young men who would normally smoke ganja and sniff cocaine at an abandoned house in the area had made them their target. "They used to trouble them, but I always warned them not to take them on," the 48-year-old who is the children's aunt said.

Coordinator of Help and Shelter, Margaret Kertzious, expressed outrage at the incident, noting that the time has come for tougher laws to be enacted to deal with the brutish kind of rapists who attacked the three women. Kertzious said it was a very difficult task to repair the emotional and psychological damage that was usually done to rape victims. She said their task at the organisation was a challenging one dealing with some of the victims as the shame and embarrassment would cause many of them to shy away from speaking about their ordeal.

She said it was commendable that this particular one was brought to light and she hopes that the police would find a way to apprehend the criminals. On her organisation's role, Kertzious said in many rape cases the police after conducting their investigations would refer the victims to them.