The head of the Domestic Violence Unit of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), Dellareece Ferguson, has described as “startling” the number of sexual violence cases in the territory.
The authorities also reported an increase in the number of rape cases so far this year.
Figures show that there have been 51 matters reported so far for the year when compared to 48 incidents that were recorded in 2021.
Police figures also show that there were 69 cases of indecent assault and 10 reported incidents of incest between January 1 and August 23.
As it relates to unlawful sexual intercourse, data shows there were seven cases reported to police; while there were 39 incidents of unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 14 and another 37 reported unlawful sex cases with individuals between 14 and 16 years of age.
