I don't think the main problem is that there were some assaults. This happens at a lot of places because there are some really bad people everywhere. What worries me is that the resorts and the Jamaican government seem to treat this as if it is equivalent of pick pocketing... no big deal mon. Or it's the victim's fault. This is much more serious than this. In order for Jamaica to be a prime tourist destination this has to be treated very seriously.
With all the news coverage, editorials, broadcasts and discussions that the Riu Reggae incident generated on the island and the fact the suspect was incarcerated the next day by the police, I don't see anyone here taking the issue lightly.Originally Posted by Jahansen
Rape is a horrific violent crime. No thinking person can believe otherwise.
The USA Today article unfortunately does not represent the reality. By misrepresenting the facts, they have proceeded to diminish the truth of what is a terribly serious subject matter.
Negril.com - For the vacation that never ends!
The article doesn’t mention what percentage of these attacks are by other guests, I am guessing that they make up the majority. A quick web search also showed that cruise ships originating from the US have a much higher number of sexual assault and rape cases than Jamaica has.
There is never an excuse for such a terrible crime, but where there are people and large amounts of alcohol together I think this will always be an issue.
I never chime in but this thread hits close to home.Over the last 10 years I have traveled to Jamaica 25 times.As most people who come often I follow all the internet media on the island(lurker).I often am taken back by news media reports of crime in and around Negril.
Having been informed by Google maps that in three years I have been to 356 unique cities around the planet I am reminded that I have never been mugged,raped or robbed in Negril or elsewhere in Jamaica.
I have stayed out late,traveled with taxi I do not know while intoxicated and on many occasion made deals with people I did not or almost did not know.
I left myself vulnerable to attack or worse and almost every time I was cared for by my driver as if they were my shepherd.
There were times I disputed the size of my purchase and with no reason they returned to correct the dispute.
times when I paid $10 USD to drive 7 people from the beach to the cliffs for dinner and had that driver wait for me (1.5 hours) not to make the $10 return but to make sure we were safe.
I have found starving Jamaicans in a good mood to help you on your way.
Dont get me wrong I was early on hustled for money but never robbed.
Some of the greatest people I ever met were when I needed help in Jamaica.
Having been to 356 cities in 3 years and having been mugged twice in the US at gunpoint I will say I Jamaica if you operate with caution,street smarts and respect you will never vacation anywhere else.
Thank you Matt !!
I have lived in the United States for 66 years, and have had one instance of crime committed against me. I have traveled to many different places with no crimes committed against me. I enjoy Jamaica and look forward to my next trip, but I will continue to revisit other places and explore new places around the world.
Last edited by Bruce; 11-04-2018 at 06:42 PM.
The article seems like sensationalism to me. They give no idea if such crime in JA is at all out of line with any other tourist destination. I certainly don't excuse rape. In Jamaica or anywhere else. But it does happen and unfortunately it happens to tourists. This article doesn't actually provide any factual evidence to back up their claim of this being especially of concern in JA. They provide sensational details about a few incidents over a few years and imply that the problem is much more widespread without any indication that this is actually true. It's basically click bait and having now seen mention of it all over the net, it's obviously working.
I can't ignore that sometimes people just have to own their choices... no one deserves to be assaulted, or worse, but if you are over-intoxicated or placing yourself in knowingly dangerous situation, bad things could happen. How many people go on vacation and feel that they can take whatever liberties they desire, throwing all caution to the wind. Obviously, this is not always the case, and like I said, no one deserves for bad things to happen... but let's be honest and recognize that some crimes are a direct result of poor decision making.
I'm gonna be Iron like a Lion in Zion
I used to respect your opinion but if that what you got out of that article ...Wow
Well, for example... it seems unclear as to exactly which resort they young woman was staying at. The article says at Sandals with her mother, but later references Beaches. So I automatically question the respectability of the article. Secondly, what was the young woman doing in the laundry room. If she was in fact doing laundry and was then assaulted, that is tragic. Third, apparently, her friends were later or simultaneously being "gang raped" in their room. But I have to wonder, who let the men into the room? So I maintain, there are a lot of unanswered questions, and there are choices that may have been made that promoted this horrible incident. No one deserves to be assaulted, but there seem to have been choices made that allowed this particular even to play out, horrible as it is.
As a single woman who regularly travels alone, perhaps I take more precaution than others, but I have been at resorts where staff have openly insinuated interest in a very overt way, both while with other guests and not. I don't let anyone in my room when I am there by myself, I no longer travel alone at night, or even with locals for that matter, by foot, and I have to accept that when I drink too much alcohol, my boundaries increase in size... if anything happens to me, it's my own fault.
Last edited by LivinInThe603; 11-04-2018 at 07:29 PM.
I'm gonna be Iron like a Lion in Zion
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