There has been an increase in Sexual assault reports in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
This is according to a report from the Sexual Offenses Unit, attached to the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force.
The advice is being offered in light of the fact that there has been a marginal increase in reports of unlawful sexual intercourse, based on the statistics from the Sexual Offences Unit (SOU) – the specialized unit in the RSVGPF mandated to investigate these types of crimes.
The Unit is calling on parents and guardians to be extra vigilant in monitoring and supervising their children’s activities, both at home and away from home during this unprecedented period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parents and guardians are further advised to pay very close attention to their children’s activities on the internet and social media, as the COVID-19 protocols have led to an increase in online activity globally -due to Social Distancing advisories issued by global health authorities including; the local Ministry of Health and the Environment.
Meanwhile, the Information Technology Unit (I.T Unit) within the RSVGPF, said it has observed an increase in reports of cybercrimes such as cyber Violation of Privacy, Sexual Harassment by Electronic Communication, Libel by Electronic Communication, Cyber bullying and phishing attacks – where hackers try to gather personal information using deceptive emails and websites, resulting in cybercriminals taking advantage of the rapid changes in online communication.
