The weekly seminars aim to instruct on standard procedures and the best practices for handling sexual assault cases.

The Scenes of Crime Office of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force along with the Forensic Science Laboratory in the Ministry of Legal Affairs, last Thursday began a series of workshops that will sensitize health workers on the proper procedures for handling cases of sexual assault.

Corporal Marcus Bastian of the Scenes of Crime Office said the workshop sessions are intended to guide doctors, nurses and other health professionals on the proper procedure for collecting and storing data and forensic evidence from the alleged victims of sexual assaults.

“The participants have been quite responsive and there are a few who have already had experience in dealing with victims of sexual assault,” Corporal Bastian said. “For their part, we want them to be aware of the procedures for collecting forensic evidence. The police force also has a part to play as the value of the forensic evidence collected is crucial for the culmination of a case, so this workshop will help to maximize our efforts.”

District Medical Officer Dr. Aaron Adjodah said that the details of sexual assault cases are essential to delivering justice.

“From my experience, cases of sexual abuse and sexual assault are increasing. We need to play our part to ensure that there is not a recurrence of the abuse,” he said. “The workshops will instruct health professionals on what should be recorded as there is a procedure to follow. These details are very important because we need to give evidence in court; so we need to ensure that what we observe is properly documented. It may seem minor but these details are essential to allowing a case to proceed unhindered.”

The first of a total of five workshops was held last Thursday. The remaining workshops are scheduled for Oct 2, 9, 16, and 23.

Forensic Science Lab officials say they hope the workshops will leave health workers with a greater appreciation for the collection of forensic evidence.