Police are nearing completion of their investigations into the rape of a 15-year-old American tourist on Monday morning, said Assistant Commissioner Leon Bethel. Two men are being questioned.
Though the police have not released many details, it is understood that the girl was staying at Comfort Suites, Paradise Island with her mother and that the rape occurred in the hotel parking lot around 1.45am by two men that she knew only by their first names.
The United States Embassy also released a short statement. “A female tourist was raped over the weekend. US Consular and security personnel are providing assistance in this case and are in touch with the family. Privacy considerations prevent us from discussing the specifics,” the statement said.
More and more in recent years and dramatically in recent months tourists have become targets for crime. The Bahamas has the highest rape rate in the region.
A Bahamas 2012 Crime and Safety Report on the United States Department of State’s Overseas Security Advisory Council website says:
“The U.S. Embassy has received reports of assaults, including sexual assaults, in diverse areas such as casinos, outside hotels, or on cruise ships. In several incidents, the victim had reportedly been drugged. The Bahamas has the highest incidence of reported rape in the world according to a 2007 United Nations report on crime, violence, and development trends. The number of reported rapes increased 37 percent from 78 in 2010 to 107 in 2011. Two American citizens were murdered in Nassau in 2009, both in residential areas. Home break-ins, theft, and robbery are not confined to any specific part of the island.”
The report also says: The U.S. Department of State rates the criminal threat level for New Providence Island as CRITICAL. The U.S. Department of State rates the criminal threat level for Grand Bahama Island, which includes Freeport, as HIGH. New Providence Island, in particular, has experienced a spike in crime that has adversely affected the traveling public. Armed robberies, property theft, purse snatchings, and general theft of personal property remain the most common crimes against tourists. There has been a dramatic increase in general crimes in 2011.
The upsurge in criminal activity has also led to incidents, which, while not directed at tourists, could place innocent bystanders at risk. In 2011, there was an armed robbery at a well-known downtown department store when many tourists were in the area. Automatic assault weapons were used in this robbery and have been reported to be used in other robberies. In previous years, several daytime robberies in Nassau led to exchanges of gunfire on the busy streets.
Source: OSAC
