Evil Unimaginable

“Child abuse casts a shadow the length of a lifetime.”- Herbert Ward. The summer has just started, well officially. We have neither autumn nor winter; instead we have summer like conditions all year round. In spite of the normalcy of the hotter nights and sweltering heat of this Caribbean paradise, some of the news emerging in recent times makes you sick to the stomach. There is no denying that we live in a hypersexualized society and indeed world. Sex is everywhere even in cartoons; there is always a sublime sexually suggested message as bait for children. Childhood should be fun and free from the stresses of adult situations. Our children are not being given the chance to be children. Child abuse is rampant; one only has to look at the statistics. Unfortunately, many of our children have had their innocence ripped out from their souls. Sadly, at times, the abuser is a family member who lives under the same roof. In many instances when students display maladaptive behaviour this can be a cry for help. However, it appears as a society we have turned a blind eye and deafening ears to the cries and pain of our children. The village that is supposed to care for our children are themselves abusing our youngsters. The society has become too accommodating to child abusers and pedophiles. Too many of us have taken a selfish stance and are only concerned about our own children. What about the shrieks for help across the night from our neighbour’s house? Have we become so callous and cold as a society? Yet, we pride ourselves as a Christian society yet our actions are unchristian like. Under the caption Dutty Man! in the Jamaica Observer of July 16, 2025 the following story may have stirred the social consciousness of a society, well we hope it did. A 44-year-old St Catherine-based taxi driver who pleaded guilty to routinely raping and trafficking his underage daughter and stepdaughter over several years will spend more than three decades behind bars for those crimes. He was also slapped with a similar sentence for raping another child, his next-door neighbour, around the same period of time. The sentences for the crimes against all three girls amount to just over 100 years. However, the sentences will run concurrently, making it so that he will serve the longest of the lot, which is 33 years and eight months behind bars, before he can apply for parole. The crimes came to light after the mother of his daughter saw a video he had sent to the child’s phone where he was having intercourse with their child. When the mother reported the matter to the police it was discovered that he had also been intimate with his stepdaughter, who said the man she called “daddy” started having intercourse with her when she was in grade 5, beginning sometime between 2018 and 2019. Paedophilia (pedophilia) is a sexual disorder in which a person experiences sexual feelings towards pre-pubescent children. The United States Department of Justice states that a pedophile before he or she is detected and arrested is active an average of 13 years. When arrested, an average offender is in the process of grooming or abusing up to 70 children. As a taxi driver the accused would have had access to children, as a result more investigation will be required. Artificial Intelligence. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) warns that more sexual abuse AI images of children are being produced, with them becoming more prevalent on the open web. The charity's latest data shows reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) have risen 380% with 245 confirmed reports in 2024 compared with 51 in 2023. Each report can contain thousands of images. Four new laws will tackle the threat of child sexual abuse images generated by artificial intelligence (AI), the United Kingdom (UK) government has announced. The Home Office says the UK will be the first country in the world to make it illegal to possess, create or distribute AI tools designed to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM), with a punishment of up to five years in prison. The legislation will make the possession of AI paedophile manuals illegal, and offenders will get up to three years in prison. What are other countries doing concerning the production of sexual abuse AI images? Gender Neutral. While many headlines regarding child abuse speak about girls, we must be mindful that boys are also raped and abused. Child abuse is not gender specific, both sexes are vulnerable. Parents also have a responsibility to speak to their children about sex. It makes no sense to try and hide information from children of today, it will not work. We live in a digital age where information whether factual or fictional is only a mouse click away. Yes, parents, it is better that you have those conversations with your child than to allow a stranger who might have ulterior motives to provide such information. Parents must be discerning. As a parent if you do not have the spirit of discernment, pray and ask God for such. Parents must be alert and in tune to changes within their children. Regrettably, so many families are dysfunctional or toxic and many children are unsure whom to speak to regarding being abused. Help Is Available. Persons entrusted with the care of children are being reminded of their responsibility to protect them from abuse and to report any known or suspected cases of maltreatment, as mandated by the Child Care and Protection Act (CCPA). Importantly, there is no statute of limitation as it relates to reporting sexual offences. As part of the healing process we must work together to restore our families. The Superintendent of Police in charge of the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA), has disclosed that between January 1, 2023 and May 12, 2025, 3,014 sexual offences against 2,154 children were reported to the police. Too often many children who have been hurt and abused do not get the necessary support to heal. As a result, many wounds in childhood reopen in adulthood. Our silence is what abusers depend on. Silence is consent for abuse of any sort to continue. A hurt child oftentimes becomes a hurt parent and the cycle of trauma transfers itself to the next generation. Alarmingly, at times we brush shoulder to shoulder with evil on a daily basis even without knowing it. When did the Jamaican society arrive at this dark and troubling place? Our hearts have become waxed cold as the daily abuses of our children continue. Have we all descended into spineless beings? When will the defenders of truth and justice reclaim their voices? If you are a victim of sexual violence, talking about your experience with people who understand can help you recover. You can call the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) at (876) 926-4079, mobile/WhatsApp (876) 224-5352 or email at cisoca@jcf.gov.jm. In the words of Derek Ray-Hill, the availability of this AI content further fuels sexual violence against children. It emboldens and encourages abusers, and it makes real children less safe. There is certainly more to be done to prevent AI technology from being exploited. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo ©