Public can access sex offenders’ registry through requests

Members of the public will be able to access information from the soon-to-be established sex offenders’ registry through a formal request system, as the government moves closer to implementing amendments to the country’s sexual offences legislation.

The clarification was provided by Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, on Monday during the ministry’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month Symposium.

Guyana is currently in the final stages of implementing the National Sex Offenders’ Registry through the Sexual Offences Amendment Bill of 2024.
This registry is a database used to track individuals convicted of sex-related crimes to improve public safety and monitor offenders.

Addressing concerns about public access to the registry, Dr Persaud explained that while the database will not be openly available online for unrestricted browsing, citizens will still have the right to request information from the Commissioner of Police.
“So to clarify it, the register will be in the custody of the Police Commissioner, and if you would like information from that register, it’s the simple way of writing to ask for that information, which will be provided.

“It’s not that it would be closed to the public and held away from the public. The repository is within the office of the Commissioner of Police,” Dr Persaud explained at the symposium held at Duke Lodge, Georgetown.

She further stated that the system is intended to ensure responsible public access while protecting the integrity of sensitive information.

“It will be accessible to the public, but it is not that the entire register will be up there and people can scroll through at their leisure, but you can definitely request information,” Dr Persaud said.

STARK STATISTICS

At the symposium, statistics were also shared showing that children and young women continue to be the primary victims of sexual violence in Guyana.

According to Dr. Cona Husbands, Manager of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit, the Guyana Police Force receives an average of 206 rape reports annually. Although there was a seven per cent reduction in reported rape cases in 2025 compared to 2024, the figures have remained relatively consistent over the years.

“And over the past five years, it has been steady. 2021, we saw a slight increase to 262 but for the majority, it has always been around 200,” Dr. Husbands explained.

Region Three recorded the highest number of rape reports over the five-year period with 253 cases, followed by Region Six with 243.

“These two regions together account for over 60 percent of the cases in the country,” Dr Husbands revealed.

Region Six consistently recorded high numbers throughout the years, peaking at 74 cases in 2024, while Region Three steadily increased and reached its highest level of 72 cases in 2025.

Meanwhile, January and October were identified as the months when the highest number of reports is typically made.

The report also found that 94 per cent of victims of sexual violence are females, while males account for 5.5 per cent .She further revealed that most sexual violence cases reported in 2025 involved victims under the age of 18 years old.

Dr. Husbands stressed that sexual violence extends beyond rape and includes sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual exploitation.

“Most of the cases involved sexual assault and most of these cases again were under the age of 18 years old…and the majority of the victims were students and family members, accounting for almost half of the perpetrators,” Dr. Husbands stated.

The ministry also observed increasing reports from indigenous communities, particularly in Regions Seven, Eight, and Nine.

Looking ahead, Dr. Husbands said the ministry plans to establish more safe spaces for reporting, counselling, and support services, train more than 500 additional police officers, and begin research and community assessments in sexual violence hotspots.

In a separate presentation focusing on children, Director of the Child Protection Agency, Levine Gouveia, said sexual abuse cases involving minors have remained persistently high throughout the reporting period.

“Girls accounted for the majority of reported victims annually. Adolescent girls in particular remain the most vulnerable group,” Gouveia said.

According to her, girls between the ages of 14 and 18 recorded the highest number of reported cases, while girls between the ages of 8 and 13 were the second most affected group.

“Notably, 77.1 per cent of children below the age of 18 years are victims of child sexual abuse,” she revealed.

Gouveia noted that while boys account for a smaller share of cases, their experiences should not be overlooked.

“Their victimisation must not be overlooked in prevention and responsive planning,” she stressed.

Region Four consistently recorded the highest number of reported child sexual abuse cases, followed by Regions Three and Six.

However, Gouveia cautioned that lower figures in hinterland regions should not be interpreted as fewer incidents of abuse, noting that barriers to reporting and limited access to services remain major challenges in remote communities.

“Oftentimes the perpetrators are persons within the communities. What we often find is that those perpetrators are persons from positions of trust…but the ministry is doing everything in its power to reach those remote communities,” she said.

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