First Lady Sandra Granger says that perpetrators of sexual abuse should be brought to justice and their victims must be given the right help to heal.
Mrs Granger made the comments as she weighed in on the ongoing saga between Kaieteur News sub0editor, Ruel Johnson and his form girlfriends. At least two of the women came forward to detail their alleged abuse at the hands of Johnson who recently rallied public support for a man accused of the same thing to be charged. Since the revelations by the women- Akola Thompson and German National, Sina Kloss. In a Facebook post, Mrs Granger said recent revelations about sexual abuse by a person in a position of authority have revealed that “we in Guyana have a far way to go in dealing with this issue.”
She said the young lady who related her experience(s) at the hands of the abuser has been criticised and reviled in the crudest way. Another victim has stepped forward. “Those who are aware would know that victims of trauma sometimes take years to express their pain and anguish, or internalise their abuse and sometimes blame themselves for it,” the First Lady said.
She added: “Where are we as a nation when for some, the instinctive response is to attack the person(s) making these allegations? Worse, implying that she/they are less; that she/they “looked for it.”?
Mrs Granger called on citizens to get to the bottom of this matter and listen to both sides. “We need a group of dedicated professionals who will help our abused and battered victims to heal. At the same time, the perpetrators should be brought to justice and also counselled about the damage they have done,” the First lady said.
A number of women have come out to condemn the behavior of Johnson. Earlier this week well known women’s rights and gender specialist, Dr Mellissa Ifill slammed a statement he made on the issue saying that she was disgusted that a “grown man who admitted a ‘fling’ with a child would then try to skillfully blame the child for his inexcusable, sickening predatory behaviour.”
Dr Ifill who is also a UG Instructor, Historian and experienced project manager, who led the USAID-Red Thread Project Engaging Communities in Guyana for Improved Implementation of Domestic Violence Laws, April 2016-March 2018; in a letter to Village Voice wrote that she could not make it to read the entire statement Johnson issued on his facebook regarding the abuse meted out to his former girlfriends. “I couldn’t make it to the end. I was disgusted that a grown man who admitted a ‘fling’ with a child would then try to skillfully blame the child for his inexcusable, sickening predatory behaviour. No! You will not come out of this scandal with any assumed reputation intact! You sir are pathetic! Any grown man who can find intellectual and sexual stimulation from a child is predatory, pathetic and abusive! Your attempts to gloss over the abuse by ‘blaming’ your self-described ‘intellect’ and the victims’ mental state are pathetic! More hilarious, in every statement you make, you exhibit all the classic symptoms of predators and abusers as Akola Thompson so well expected and articulated,” Dr Ifill said.
She said the “fake contriteness while at the same time offering excuses for the sickening behaviour and blaming the victims, while painting these women as all unstable – is typical of abusers.” Dr. Ifill also called out those who congratulate Mr. Johnson “for that pathetic statement’ remarking that they are as much a part of the culture of rape, abuse, predation and misogyny as he is.”
The gender specialist also had harsh words for the publisher of Kaieteur News Glenn Lall who labelled these most serious allegations as ‘bedroom’ story. She condemns him for making light of women’s experiences with domestic violence and noted that the epidemic of domestic violence in Guyana has resulted in deaths and bodily injury for many women and she insists that there must be no tolerance or excuse offered or accepted for any form of violence against women and children. Johnson has admitted to some of the accusations leveled against him by two of his former girlfriends but denies that he is guilty of physical abuse, statutory rape or grooming. He has admitted that he does have concerning behavioural problems and will be seeking counselling for help. In light of the recent accusations, though The Citizen Initiative (TCI) has let go of Johnson as their Co-founder and Executive, it appears that he will keep his job at the Kaieteur News as he is now taking steps to meet with female staff individually at the media entity to ascertain whether he has wronged them in any way.
On Wednesday morning, through a Facebook post, Johnson said that since accusations were made against him he was advised by his friends to remain silent but he has decided to respond in light of the public engagement on the issue. However, in his response, Johnson distanced himself from some of the remarks made by his ex-girlfriends, Youth Activist and Stabroek News Columnist, Akola Thompson, who broke the silence on the alleged abuse, and Sinah Kloss, a German woman who also accused the Sub-Editor of ill treatment.
Johnson said that Thompson’s account of their relationship was “largely and deliberately fictitious” and was made up of information contradicted by public and private record. Regarding Kloss, he said that the woman’s account of her “burnout” phase due to studies and a dying father was used to seek attention. While he admitted to her account of him spitting at her, he denied manipulation and physical conflict.
