American newspaper details allegations of rape in Jamaican resorts; attorney casts doubt on some reports
A report in the internationally distributed American newspaper, USA Today, has painted a damning picture of Jamaica’s tourism industry, claiming that sexual assaults are occurring inside gated resorts on the island.
The report alleged that Jamaica has a pervasive sexual assault problem, noting that an estimated one American is raped each month.
The USA Today report quoted statistics from the US State Department which revealed that 78 Americans were raped in Jamaica between 2011 and last year.
It says the victims include: a mentally handicapped woman in her 20s, an Indiana mother gang-raped by three Cuban soccer players in a resort bathroom stall, a 20-year-old woman raped by two men in her hotel, two Detroit mothers raped at gunpoint in their room; and a Kent County teenager and her 21-year-old friend, gang-raped by lifeguards in a locked laundry room at the resort where they were staying.
According to U.S. Embassy reports, 12 Americans were raped in Jamaica last year, half of them inside resorts by hotel employees.
The U.S. Government says it suspects this number may be higher as sexual assaults are often under-reported, and the embassy figures do not include victims from other countries.
Last month, two Detroit women were allegedly raped by a hotel employee at gunpoint at the Riu Reggae Hotel in St. James.
The USA Today report says when the women reported the rape to hotel staff, management told them it had never heard of this type of assault happening there before.
It says Jamaican officials took the same position, implying that sexual assaults were rare.
USA Today says the Ministry of Tourism and the Jamaica Constabulary Force did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Attorney
In response to the allegations, Jamaican attorney, Gordon Brown, a former adviser to the Jamaica Tourist Board, told USA Today that over the years his law firm has represented hotels and hotel operators in civil suits involving sexual assaults.
Brown said in several instances the allegations were not substantiated, adding that it does not appear that sex crimes are a widespread problem.
He added that a big issue with sexual assault cases in Jamaica is consent.
The report quoted Mr Brown as saying most hotels have a zero-tolerance attitude toward hotel employees having any type of sexual encounter with guests.
He added that the Jamaica Tourist Board tends to monitor and police this information quite rigorously, adding that all allegations of assault, robbery or any incident of criminal activity is typically very rigorously investigated.
Capacity questioned
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has questioned Jamaica’s capacity to do anything about the problem, noting its police force is considered underpaid, poorly trained and understaffed.
The US Today report quoted the State Department saying that reporting crime in Jamaica can seem archaic. It says the confusing and lengthy process is widely believed to be a waste of time, adding that this can leave victims feeling further violated, helpless and hopeless.
The State Department says, while sexual assaults involving Americans at hotels in Jamaica declined in 2016, the problem worsened in 2017.
The USA Today report says, in 2016, out of 18 Americans raped in Jamaica that year, just one occurred at a resort.
In 2017, the US State Department says, of the dozen Americans sexually assaulted in Jamaica, six were attacked in resorts at the hands of employees.
The State Department wrote in a report this year that sexual assaults against American guests by hotel employees on the north coast have again risen.
Isn’t USA Today America’s largest daily paper? What a damning report.
As a woman me not defending any rape fi protect culture. Seeing what has been happening to women on the island the report does not seem farfetched. Obviously, the case with the Cuban footballers has nothing to do with Jamaicans, and me nuh see how a mentally challenged woman can consent to sex, although the paper did not specify if it was a local or another foreigner who sexually assaulted her. Anyhow, if there is a problem it needs to be aired out and fixed. I don’t trust the JTB cause when di lady who worked for them father was murdered in Jamaica they did not want her to speak out publicly and eventually fired her for talking up.
Deeper criminal background check on every person who has been offered a position, including international criminal background check, drug testing and even criminal background check on employees who did not have one done previously, every application should be submitted with a clear photo of the applicant and when their interview come up match the photo with who show up. A famous resort for the wealthy unwittingly hired a pedophile some years ago and placed this person in a managerial position, is after someone Googled him it was discovered that he was a pedophile, something like that should not be missed, and it was not a Jamaican either it was a white man mussi from the US.
I do not believe this. The USA will put this out just because of one incident. I do not believe
Why would they need to make this up? Is Jamaica a super power? I didn’t want to believe either but look st the type of depraved crimes happening down there daily. My heart broke reading this night before last…mi bawl di living eye wata ova dis….
So many things too say regarding this, my heart is overwhelmed with sadness
Why is it hard to believe. you see how many missing girls there are right now. Everyday me see somebody sharing a new one. This does not seem far fetched to me.
I go back home every year and still do love where i am from. They’re are still good people there, but the fact remains, Jamaica is no longer the same and you have to be very careful when going. It is one thing telling a born Jamaican who wants to go back and visit, but to tell a tourist to be extra careful when spending so much money for vacation is just a NO!
These days, it is really hard defending and convince people to visit Jamaica, because while it can be fun, it can also be very dangerous.
This isn’t just awful and embarrassing, this is ultra careless of the resort employees and law enforcement!
the JFC is literally so corrupt and shitty that they protect the gov’t’s interests. tourism is jamaica’s number one economy, so it should be of no surprise but to everyone’s disgust that the resort manager would hide what’s going on in act like it’s new. Also that thing where they are so dismissive of the rapes and the psychological effects of it, it really bleeds my heart because a lot of Jamaicans have this belief that long as you don’t die you’ll get over it.
Honestly i recommend all women arm themselves upon arrival. I love Jamaica but I’m sick of the lack of accountability (i.e. : “this can happen anywhere”, crimes are global, “what about America”etc.) and downplaying like violent crimes aren”‘t an exorbitant issue in our communities.
The one likkle tourism ting weh still a bring een lilly money inna di country all dat a mash up tuh. A betta ppl did a seh dem tings get stolen dan fi seh rape dat look bad bad pan di country gosh man. Right now tourism drop cause it use to up not even di commercials yuh nuh see tun up like first time ppl a go different country yah now.
Met, mi just watched the evening news here in Toronto and they featured a story about some ladies who went to Negril and got hookworm from walking on the beach, dem show di foot dem widdi worms inna dem. Hoping for some positive news soon.