St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony and opposition leader Gale Rigobert have expressed outrage over reports that a 97-year-old woman from the village of Micoud, east of Castries was raped earlier this week.
In a statement today, Prime Minister Anthony condemned the act, stating that it is a despicable one that not only violates an elderly citizen, but the entire community and country.
The prime minister voiced concerns about an increase in reports of rape across the island, saying there must be a collective effort between the police and the public to deal with this problem.
Meanwhile the opposition leader has called for the engagement of regional organizations, women’s groups, social welfare agencies and others in the fight against rape and child abuse.
She told reporters at the end of a parliamentary gathering on Wednesday that “the nation needs to be resolute in interventions to address domestic violence, rape and child abuse.”
