One rape every 20 hours in metropolitan Panama

There is one reported rape every 20 hours in Panama City but the rate dropped 5%  in the first 5 months of 2012 says a police report.

Figures from the Directorate of Judicial Investigation (DIJ) show that in the metropolitan area  439 cases of sexual abuse were reported in 2011..

But from January to May this nyear  there were 181 cases compared to 198 for the same period in 2011.

Doris Geng, head of the Sexual Offences Division of  the DIJ, said that the victims do not have a specific age range.

"We have record of child abuse from 10 years of age to a retiree of 71” she told La Prensa

Most victims are women. In almost all cases, the attackers are people acquinted with the victims, like neighbors, relatives or friends.

The abused person reporting the case is taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciencesfor a prophylactic treatment to avoid pregnancy or disease.

The Metropolitan areas where most attacks are reported are December 24, and Pacora, said Geng.

For the sociologist Marcos Gandasegui, the figures represent a snapshot of the current weakness of the social fabric of Panama.

" Economic growth is not improving social security and that is a breeding ground for many crimes to occur, including those committed against the dignity of women, "says the sociologist.

Victims who suffer such abuse should receive immediate therapeutic help to overcome the trauma, says psychologist Thelma Lasso. "Whoever does not receive therapy begins to feel a lot of insecurity. It also generates irrational fears, obsessions and lower work performance” she said.