By| Jevone Vickerie|HGP Nightly News|
MP AMANZA WALTON-DESIR DEMANDS CRIMINAL JUSTICE DATA FOLLOWING 584 UNDERAGE PREGNANCY DISCLOSURES
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — Forward Guyana Movement Leader and Opposition Member of Parliament, Amanza Walton-Desir, is calling for intense institutional scrutiny of the state’s child protection mechanisms. She argues that the recently disclosed 584 pregnancies involving girls under the age of 16 must be met with transparent data tracking police investigations and subsequent criminal prosecutions.
Her demands follow recent formal disclosures within the National Assembly, which revealed that 584 pregnancy cases involving minors under 16 were referred to the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) between the years 2020 and 2025.
Walton-Desir asserted that these numbers expose critical questions regarding whether Guyana’s criminal justice system is effectively responding to incidents that inherently point to statutory rape and severe sexual offenses.
“We need to examine whether these figures align with the number of cases entering the criminal justice system,” Walton-Desir stated. “Because, of course, in many cases, pregnancy involving a child under 16 raises obvious questions about sexual offenses and statutory rape.”
According to the lawmaker, analyzing the direct correlation between agency referrals and active court dockets is essential to determine if the country’s protective frameworks are functioning or failing. She clarified that the primary obstacle is not a deficiency in domestic legislation, but rather systemic gaps in administrative accountability, execution, and tracking.
“Are, for example, these referrals happening consistently? Are investigations being completed in a timely manner? Are these interventions producing better outcomes for these vulnerable children? You see, those are the questions that need answers,” Walton-Desir argued.
The parliamentarian emphasized that both the National Assembly and the general public are fully entitled to a clear, data-driven picture illustrating the exact pipeline from a reported underage pregnancy to protective service intervention, police investigation, and ultimately, judicial enforcement.
Walton-Desir concluded that the alarming statistics should serve as an immediate wake-up call for regional policymakers and legislators. She urged officials to pinpoint current institutional vulnerabilities so that necessary operational reforms can be enacted to safeguard the nation’s youth.
