Another senior police officer reported that many people, including parents, do not even understand that in cases like this a crime has been committed against their daughters. Nor is it clear who else has a duty to take action in a situation where an underage girl becomes the victim of an older predator in this way.
The furore that has broken out as a result of the Education Minister's answering a colleague in the Senate may turn out to be very useful if it sheds some light on the very grey areas of underage pregnancies and leads to a reduction in their numbers.On Tuesday Dr Tim Gopeesingh replied to a question from Independent Senator Dr Victor Wheeler, a fellow gynaecologist, about how many girls in the school system become pregnant, reporting that there were 2,500 cases a year. Most of the men responsible are said to be aged between 25 and 40.
As former senior police officer Margaret Sampson-Brown observed, the numbers reported by the Education Minister derive only from the reported cases. Undoubtedly, many more go unreported; and still other girls do not become pregnant but are nevertheless sexually molested by older male predators. Sadly, in many instances, the illegal sexual violation takes place within families, extended relatives and friends, relationships within which teenage girls should be secure.
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