GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — The Ministry of Human Services says that during the first quarter of this year 110 boys, aged three and under, were abused.

The ministry, in releasing the figure yesterday in observance of International Day of the Boy Child, also said that over 404 boys were abused during the same period.

“I’m sure you’ll agree with me that the tendency has been to pay more attention to the girls and protect them, while we show less consideration to the boys. While it is true that more girls are abused, sexually and otherwise, let’s not be deceived into thinking that the same thing doesn’t happen to boys,” said Minister of Human Services Dr Vindhya Persaud in a statement.

The minister, who called on Guyanese to pay attention to the vulnerability of boys and young men, highlighted that in the first quarter of 2021 it was found that 635 girls were abused.

“The types of abuse reported include physical, sexual, verbal, neglect, and abandonment,” she related.

Specifically on the abuse recorded in boys, she said 110 boys between the age of zero and three years old faced some form of abuse. Additionally, 95 boys between the ages of four and seven were abused; 147 boys between the ages of eight and 13 were abused; and, 52 boys between the ages of 14 and 18 faced some form of abuse.

Cognisant of the prevalence of child abuse, the minister said that systems are being instituted to cater for both boys and girls. Additionally, she highlighted that the ministry’s Child Care and Protection Agency, headed by Ann Greene, has been working to promote more awareness of the issue.

“It’s true that our boys are hurting and they need us. While they are also groomed for sexual abuse, we don’t get them to talk easily about it,” she underscored.

In December, local media reported that 113 boys were sexually assaulted for the period January 2020 to October 2020, according to statistics compiled and presented by the Child Care and Protection Agency.

These figures indicated that boys between the ages of eight and 13 are most susceptible to sexual abuse, with 44 of them in that age group being made victims already for the year. In the figures provided by the human services minister in her press statement, the largest number of abused boys — 147 — were in the eight to 13 age group.