LOCAL women’s groups have spoken out against acts of incest against innocent children.

“It is once again deeply distressing to learn of the ongoing onslaught of sexual offences even against blood relatives who are children,” the joint press release said. “There must be unequivocal condemnation of these acts. There can be no half-stepping or parsing of words this time.”

The groups said that larger questions must be raised among men in every class of society, asking why is this behaviour acceptable?

“What personal action is being taken to speak out against these heinous acts and to stop them from re-occurring? We commend those officers of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the director of public prosecutions and his hardworking team for conducting investigations as they should be conducted, that is, without regard or favour to the employment or status of accused persons.”

The groups said the public also appreciates the role that the magistrates and judges are playing in ensuring that, upon conviction, sentences that are appropriate for “these kinds of savage crimes are meted out to criminals”.

“These acts are evil and they are the highest betrayal of the most sacred duty,” the press release by Zontal Club, CIWiL, Eric Brown Connects Disability Advocacy and Inclusion Management, and Women United said.

This comes after cases of incest were reported recently.

Last month a father was sentenced to 25 years in prison on two counts of incest for forcing his now adult daughter to have sex when she was still a teenager.

And last week a police officer was remanded after being accused of raping his young daughter over the course of almost three years, beginning when she was 10 years old.