**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
**Guyana Anti-Corruption Network (GACN)**
**Date:** March 23, 2026
### GACN Statement: A Pattern of Impunity – When Political Loyalty Trumps Accountability for Sexual Violence and Assault
**Georgetown, Guyana** – The Guyana Anti-Corruption Network (GACN) expresses profound alarm at a disturbing and entrenched pattern within the People’s Progressive Party (PPP): the systematic rehabilitation and political elevation of men accused of serious sexual violence and assault against women and children, while victims are left without justice.
Our review of multiple cases reveals a troubling cycle: serious allegations surface, investigations are initiated, a period of public scrutiny follows, and ultimately, the accused individuals are quietly rehabilitated, returned to public office, or elevated within the party structure. This cycle demonstrates a clear failure of both the justice system and political accountability mechanisms.
We highlight four cases that exemplify this pattern:
**1. Karl Singh – Shooting of Gladys Benedict (2021)**
While serving as Regional Executive Officer (REO) for Region Nine, Karl Singh shot 25-year-old Gladys Benedict. Initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police later declared the shooting “accidental.” The victim’s mother alleged a monetary settlement was offered. No charges were filed. Despite the gravity of the incident, Singh remains the REO of Region Nine to this day and was additionally elected to the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) in 2024.
**2. Nigel Dharamlall – Rape Allegations by a 16-Year-Old (2023)**
In June 2023, then-Minister of Local Government Nigel Dharamlall was arrested over allegations by a 16-year-old Indigenous girl of rape and sodomy. He was released on bail. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) later found insufficient evidence after the complainant recanted. Dharamlall was elected to the PPP CEC in 2024 and has since returned to a government role within the Ministry of Public Service.
**3. Vikash Singh – Sexual Molestation Investigation (2020)**
Before becoming Minister of Agriculture, Vikash Singh was investigated for the alleged sexual molestation of a 13-year-old girl in Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo. The case took a tragic turn when the victim died by suicide days after her father filed the police report. Police investigated a potential link between the alleged assault and her death. Despite this, Singh faced no public accountability and was later elevated to the position of Minister of Agriculture, a role he continues to hold.
**4. Ganga Persaud – Alleged Sexual Molestation (2020)**
Ganga Persaud, a PPP candidate and pandit, was arrested and released on bail for the alleged sexual molestation of a 13-year-old girl. The police file was sent to the DPP. The outcome of that investigation remains shrouded in secrecy, and Persaud has faced no known public sanction.
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### The Crisis Behind the Cases: Guyana’s Sexual Violence Epidemic
These four cases do not exist in isolation. They are embedded within a national crisis of sexual and gender-based violence that has reached alarming proportions. The most recent official data paints a devastating picture.
Guyana records more than 300 reported sexual abuse cases annually, according to the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit. Of these, over 90 per cent involve women and girls, and more than 70 per cent of sexual assault cases involve children under the age of 18.
The conviction rate for reported sexual assault cases in Guyana is fewer than 10 per cent. This means that for every ten victims who summon the courage to report their abuse, fewer than one perpetrator faces legal accountability. This systemic failure extends far beyond the political cases highlighted here and reflects a justice system where victims face insurmountable barriers to seeing their abusers held responsible.
The crisis has escalated to lethal proportions. In 2025 alone, 22 femicide cases were recorded in Guyana—the intentional killing of women or girls because of their gender. This represents a sharp increase from 13 cases in 2024. A letter published in the Stabroek News in March 2026 reported that at least 24 women and children lost their lives in 2025, with 22 of these being femicides, including four children aged 4 to 16.
In February 2026, a 15-year-old mother of a 10-month-old baby was stabbed 25 times by a man who remains at large. The timeline of her pregnancy indicates she would have been 13 years old when she became pregnant—a clear violation of Guyana’s Sexual Offences Act, which prohibits sexual activity with any child under 16.
Guyana’s teenage pregnancy rate exceeds the Latin American and Caribbean average, with over 80 adolescent girls out of 1,000 giving birth. This rate is higher than any other Caribbean country except Belize, and rural and hinterland regions record rates exceeding 100 per 1,000 girls, with teen pregnancies accounting for 20 to 24 per cent of all pregnancies nationally.
Under Guyana’s Sexual Offences Act, no child under 16 can consent to sex. This means the majority of teenage pregnancies involving girls under 16 are, by definition, the result of rape. Yet perpetrators are rarely identified, charged, or prosecuted.
In July 2025, a 20-year-old Indigenous woman was drugged and raped by three men at Raghoo’s Bar on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway. Disturbingly, patrons did not intervene; instead, they filmed and cheered the assault. The bar was temporarily closed but later reopened—a stark example of how violence against women, particularly Indigenous women, is met with collective indifference rather than justice.
The national child protection system is itself in crisis. In 2026, child protection officers were filmed dragging a schoolchild in uniform through the streets during a truancy campaign—an act of physical abuse by those entrusted to protect children. The system’s failures leave vulnerable children exposed to predators while failing to provide adequate support to survivors.
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### The Connection: A System that Protects its Own
These four cases share more than just serious allegations. They reveal a system where investigations are opaque and inconclusive—police files are sent to the DPP, but outcomes are rarely publicized, as seen in Karl Singh’s case where an attempted murder charge was inexplicably downgraded without public explanation.
Victims are marginalized or silenced. In Dharamlall’s case, the complainant recanted. In Karl Singh’s case, a settlement was allegedly offered. In Vikash Singh’s case, the victim died. This pattern creates a chilling effect, discouraging future complainants from coming forward.
Political rehabilitation is guaranteed. Despite the gravity of the allegations, all four men have been either retained in government, returned to public service, or promoted. Karl Singh remains the REO of Region Nine. Vikash Singh continues as Minister of Agriculture. Nigel Dharamlall has returned to a government role. Ganga Persaud faced no public sanction. Their political careers have not only survived but, in some cases, flourished.
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### A Dangerous Message
The PPP’s response—whether through General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo’s defense that “delegates chose” them or that “the justice system has worked”—is a calculated evasion. It ignores the fundamental principle that legal innocence is not synonymous with political suitability.
By retaining men accused of sexual violence and assault in positions of power—with Karl Singh serving as REO of Region Nine, Vikash Singh as Minister of Agriculture, and Nigel Dharamlall returned to government—the PPP sends a dangerous message: that the dignity and safety of women and children are negotiable, and that political loyalty is the ultimate shield against accountability.
This message is amplified by the broader crisis of sexual violence in Guyana. When fewer than 10 per cent of reported sexual assault cases result in conviction, and when men accused of sexual violence against children continue to hold high office, what message does this send to survivors? What message does it send to the 70 per cent of victims who are children? What message does it send to the Indigenous women and girls who bear the brunt of this violence?
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### Call for Accountability
GACN calls for:
**Full Public Disclosure:** The DPP’s office must publish clear, reasoned decisions in all cases involving public officials to ensure transparency.
**Independent Oversight:** A fully independent body must review how allegations against public officials are investigated and adjudicated.
**Political Accountability:** The PPP must adopt clear ethical standards that disqualify individuals facing serious allegations from leadership positions, regardless of legal technicalities.
**Support for Victims:** The government must strengthen protections and support services for victims of sexual and gender-based violence, ensuring they can pursue justice without fear of reprisal or intimidation.
**Judicial Reform:** Urgent reforms are needed to address the systemic failures that result in fewer than 10 per cent of sexual assault cases ending in conviction, including specialized training for police, prosecutors, and judges handling sexual offences.
Guyana’s women, girls, and Indigenous communities deserve better. They deserve a justice system and a political culture that protects them, not one that shields the powerful.
**-END-**
**About GACN:**
The Guyana Anti-Corruption Network (GACN) is a civil society organization committed to promoting transparency, accountability, and the rule of law in Guyana. We advocate for a justice system that treats all citizens equally, regardless of their political affiliation or social status.
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