You don't need us to tell you about the problem of sexual abuse in Belize because if you've ever watch this newscast you have heard the stories. Just since the start of this year we've heard it all: incest, sodomy, and rape of young girls and boys. And while there is the little that is reported on the news, the story normally ends there. Well the Youth Enhancement Services says that has got to stop society needs to confront to problem because truth is - it is already confronting us. And if you're thinking "not a another workshop," well today the participants were different.
The t-shirts said it all: "sexual abuse is not hush hush" and today young women from the Belize District met on Bird's Isle to talk openly and frankly about the problem of sexual abuse and exploitation.
Greta Jenkins, Y.E.S. Outreach Worker
"Right now as we know it is a big epidemic in Belize and it is not only with young women. As we see in the news lately it's been a problem even with young men. So that's why we're empowering these young women that they can reach other young people because a young person will prefer to speak to another young person instead of coming to an adult. So that's why we have all these young women from all the different villages. And if we reach all these villages and empower these young women I think we won't be able to solve the problem but it will help the situation.
Its not right being touched by your parents or your uncle or a stranger in an inappropriate way. It's not right and you don't need to accept it and if somebody is doing that to you, you need to speak out."
Two young women who spoke out loud and clear are 19-year-old Andrea O'Brien and 15 year old Sophia Stewart. They say silence is not the answer, their peers are being abused and by the reckoning of these young women, society needs to stare this problem in its ugly face.
Andrea O'Brien, Y.E.S.
"It's happening a lot but we don't know because our young women and our young men are not speaking out. So if you do not work directly with it you will not know how big an effect it has on our community or on our country but it is really a big issue."
Sophia Stewart,
"I'm just one of the children who would like to speak up and let other....well should I say ashamed or shy you are be able to come out and enjoy the day and be willing to express how they feel if they have been sexually abused or in the midst of being abused."
Ifasina Efunyemi and members from her group the Productive Organization for Women in Action (POWA) in Dangriga traveled to Bird's Isle for the forum. She says the problem of abuse of young girls is widespread and engaging in open discourse is only step one.
Ifasina Efunyemi, POWA
"This is the time forhebsi8lentce to be broke when it comes to that issue because if we remain silent then the evil continues to reign. So we are encouraging the young people here, we are being here as a support and as well we are planning one just like this in Dangriga to bring the young women of the Stann Creek District together to discuss not only sexual abuse and exploitation but other issues that affect us."
Greta Jenkins is an outreach worker at the Youth Enhancement Services (YES) where tackling the problem has become priority number one.....because if we fail to address it now, it casts a dark shadow towards the future.
Greta Jenkins,
"I think that if we allow this problem to continue, we will have a nation of young people who really have low-self esteem and if you have low self-esteem I don't know what will become of you because then you won't want to do anything productive. Nothing productive will be able to come out of our young people."
7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited and Prepared for the internet by Keith Swift