The We Invest In Nationhood (WIN) party is calling for urgent justice following the alleged sexual assault of a five-year-old visually impaired girl in Hiawa Village, Region 9 (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).The incident occurred on the night of October 9, 2025, and has reignited national concern over the state of child protection in Guyana.

According to WIN’s public statement, the child had been left in the care of her grandmother alongside her 7-year-old brother while their mother went to gather information about market opportunities for her produce. When the mother returned after 9 p.m., she found her daughter crying and bleeding in a hammock.

Acting quickly, the mother took her daughter to the home of a local healthcare worker, who then called for an ambulance. However, despite the journey from Hiawa to Lethem Regional Hospital taking only about 15 minutes, the ambulance reportedly did not arrive until between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. the following morning. The child was admitted to the hospital and has since been discharged.

The alleged perpetrator is a 14-year-old boy from Nappi Secondary School. Community members report a history of troubling behaviour by the teen and say past complaints were routinely ignored or met with only warnings from the village Toshao. Shockingly, residents also allege that the boy’s father has a similar history, pointing to what they describe as a “pattern of molestation” repeating itself across generations.

Efforts to report the matter to the Toshao by a cousin of the victim were allegedly met with indifference. According to WIN, the Toshao claimed he had previously helped the child’s mother with “public assistance” — a response that has further angered the community and advocates.

Mohamed, leader of WIN, met with the child’s mother, expressed empathy, and offered support to the family during this traumatic time. The party has since issued a public call for accountability:

“We call on the REO of Region 9, the Minister of Human Services, the Minister of Amerindian Affairs and the Guyana Police Force to ensure justice is served for this young girl.”

This heartbreaking case comes amid a broader national crisis. Child sexual abuse in Guyana remains a deeply troubling and widespread issue, with data revealing a consistently high number of reported cases annually. In 2024 alone, there were approximately 1,203 cases of child sexual abuse, accounting for nearly 30% of the more than 4,000 child abuse cases recorded that year.

Alarming as these numbers are, experts warn they likely under represent the true scale of the crisis due to chronic underreporting—particularly in rural and Indigenous communities like Hiawa—where survivors often face stigma, fear, and limited access to justice.

Further compounding the issue, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has disclosed that more than 300 sexual assault cases are reported every month, with over 70% involving minors. Surveys conducted by United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) have revealed that between 20–30% of children in Guyana have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime.

These statistics paint a grim picture of systemic failure to protect the nation’s children. WIN’s demand for justice in this case also highlights the urgent need for stronger child protection mechanisms, more responsive community leadership, and institutional accountability at both the regional and national levels.