A Mother Speaks out, The Reporter, May 22, 2009

A Mother Speaks out

The Reporter
May 22, 2009

http://www.reporter.bz/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3552&Itemid=2

Victor Garcia

A mother whose daughter recently testified in a court of law that she was sexually molested by a Guatemalan preacher, has taken up the fight to advocate for proper judicial protection of minors who are victims of child abuse.

The woman, whose name cannot be revealed, to protect the identity of her now eight year old daughter, told the Reporter in an exclusive interview this week, that she wants to ensure that authorities put in place proper protection to safeguard the identity of young victims of sexual offences, when they are called upon to testify in a court of law.

The April 30 not guilty verdict in the carnal knowledge trial of 35- year-old Pastor, Victor Cecilio Donis Garcia, sent a wave of anger and concern throughout the country.

The little girl, who was only seven years old at the time of the alleged sex offence, testified that Garcia sexually molested her, when Garcia’s wife (her babysitter) stepped out of the house to buy at a nearby grocery shop on July 30 of last year.

The little girl’s mother, who we will call by the fictitious name Luz, told the Reporter that she was not convinced that the prosecution did enough to try and secure a guilty verdict against Garcia.

Luz, who sat throughout the trial in April, said she observed from the start of the trial, that the Director of Public Prosecution’s office made irrepairable errors going into the trial against Garcia.

Because the prosecution’s case relied heavily on the testimony of her daughter, Luz said she believes that not much emphasis was placed on ensuring that the jury heard all that had transpired after her daughter accused Garcia of molesting her.

Luz said the entire ordeal has been a nightmare for her and most of all for her daughter, who has had many sleepless nights after the incident.

“My daughter still has sleepless nights. There are times when she would get up at night and cry,” Luz said.

Luz said she and Garcia’s wife had been close friends and Garcia’s wife had been taking care of her daughter since she was two years ago.

“A special bond had developed over those years,” said Luz, and it was so difficult for her daughter to cope with it after the alleged incident.

Luz said the trial itself had been a nightmare and that she and her husband were stunned to discover that her daughter was told to wait outside of the court room, in full view of the public, before she was called in to testify.

“Even inside the court room,” Luz said, her daughter was subjected to testifying in front of people. “I believe that because of the sensitivity of the case, that she would have testified behind a curtain so as to protect her identity,” Luz said.

Luz has teamed up with the Social Services Department to identify and remedy loopholes in the judicial system so that the Director of Public Prosecution can make an even stronger case on behalf of children who are vicitms of sexual abuse.

Efforts to reach Garcia this week to comment on reports that he and his wife are no longer living together, were unsuccessful.

His wife, who resides on the north side of Belize City, would not confirm or deny the reports that she and Garcia have since separated after the conclusion of the trial on April 30.

“I don’t want to comment on anything at all. I have to live my life and he has to live his life. I don’t want to comment and I have nothing to say to the media,” the wife told the Reporter on Thursday afternoon.