Calls for Awareness After Rape-Incest Arrest

Human Services Department officials urged child victims of sex crimes to seek help Tuesday after a St. Thomas woman’s recent arrested on rape and incest charges.

Although women charged with raping boys was a rarity, Assistant Commissioner Carla Benjamin said it was likely an underreported crime. And while the Oct. 18 arrest was not a forceable rape, Benjamin said the psychological damage to a victim of sexual assault, especially at the hands of a trusted family member, could be long-lasting. “It probably happens more frequently than we know, or more frequently than we are willing to admit to,” Benjamin said. “In this instance, it’s a good thing that the law doesn’t make a difference whether the perpetrator is male or female. A violation is a violation. And the violators need to be held accountable.”

Moving from an appropriate familial relationship between an adult and a child to an inappropriate sexual interaction could create trust and intimacy issues that last a lifetime if not addressed, Benjamin said. In the recent case, a 24-year-old woman started having sex with her 13-year-old cousin in 2021. She told police she was aware of their close family relations and that there was an age difference but did not think much of it, according to court records. The woman told police she thought he was older than 13.