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Guyana’s Honorary Consul Norman Faria has accused the Barbados media of sensationalising the results of a recent survey that suggested that nearly half the island’s sex workers are Guyanese.
Faria has also expressed concern about the methodology used to determine the findings and has written the consultants who were hired to conduct the survey for more information.
Last week, it was reported by the island’s press that a study, “Findings of a Baseline Study Among Male and Female Sex Workers in Barbados,” revealed that 46% of the sex workers in Barbados are from Guyana, the highest percentage of any group. The study was conceptualised to assess and contribute to the reduction of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases among the sex worker population, their partners and clients in Barbados.
But Faria said he was “disappointed” that sections of the media chose to “sensationalise” the data collected. He cited the Barbados Nation, which featured a banner headline on the front page.
“The Consulate finds such sensationalising to sell a few more papers and get more listeners to be deeply offensive and insulting to the overwhelming majority of Guyanese nationals, especially women, in Barbados,” he said in a statement issued yesterday. “The impression given to readers/ listeners/viewers in the Barbados media is that the majority of the sex workers were Guyanese when indeed more serious surveys are necessary. Impressionable people may generalise from irresponsible reporting, embarrassing the majority of tolerant and welcoming Bajan society.”
Faria pointed out that Guyanese women toil in Barbadian homes, taking care of the elderly and doing domestic work. He added that if it were not for them, the island’s health institutions, and employers who would have to take time off from jobs and clean their homes and give care to elderly relatives, would be hard pressed.
Approximately 100 sex workers were interviewed at 131 site visits over four general areas. However, only 44 sex workers participated in the baseline study, out of which 30 female sex workers were interviewed through closed-ended surveys and nine female sex workers participated in the in-depth interviews. The project was funded through CAREC, UNIFEM, Canadian Interna-tional Development Agency- Canada Caribbean Gender Equality Program and the Pan American Health Organisa-tion.
It was noted, however, that George Griffith, the Execu-tive Director of the Barbados Family Planning Association, has charged that the survey was invalid and unreliable. Faria took a similar view, adding that he believed that while the consultants who conducted the survey were well-meaning, the study was never a definitive, scientific survey of the sex worker industry. He said a more in-depth study appears to be necessary, with a wider definition of a sex worker. “So it would be problematic and misleading, as the consultants themselves would agree, for the stated percentages of the various nationalities of the prostitutes interviewed to be definitive and etched in stone,” he said. “If , as I suspect, the survey is what is called snowball sampling, rather than a comprehensive, scientifically done census and questionnaire, it was regrettable for sections of the media to sensationalise, with all its salacious and gossipy references to so called foreigners, the figures.”
another thing ther are doing is when guyanese ask for extention or to fix their permit or any document so the can stay legaly the keep it till the time run out then call them in and make them feel it was ready n send them home on the spot not even allowing them to pack something. guyanese are generally nice people we dont deserve this at all.
All the people of the Caribbean should know that Barbados have special benches in the Airport for different nationalities to sit on when detained, one for Guyanese, one for Dreadlocks, and so on….I’ve seen them in action.
It is indeed a sad findings and unrealistic results. I am happy the the Guyanese Consulate take the matter up becaused had it not be for hard working Guyanese most Bajan life style would be different today. He made sum good points and to the best of it most Bajans doesn’t like GTs, most of them forget who was there to help them grow.But like the old says goes cat don’t know the world truns until he push his head n eat from a sardine tin.
Barbados has insulted Guyana publicly.
Damn Shame!
an insult to all the women of Guyana
Bajan doan realize alot of Afro-Guynaese are their relatives. When Laurens van Gravesande called for the colonization of Demerara, it was the Bajan Planters that hurried over to Demerara wid dem labour force. Back in dem dazs, it wasn’t too difficult to separate relatives-so, many relatives were taken to Demerara and some remaining in Barbados.
So be kind to us, in the fifties many Bajans came and worked in British Guiana.
So true ,Cyd, Just check the names in the Guyana Telephone Directory and compare them with those in the Barbados Directory. From A-Z it shows that we are closely related.
Bajans are of the travelling kind, many of us lived in Britain, Canada, USA all parts of the world. A great majority of these Bajans have returned home, and know what its like to be discriminated against, and would never sanction or be part of the population to discriminate against anyone especially Caribbean people.
As a matter of fact, Bajans returning home especially from the UK, to resettled in Barbados are given the cold shoulder by our kith and kin. We are labelled ‘”Returning Nationals.” among other things.
As for the actual Survey. Some years ago a Doctor from the UK working , at a clinic in Bridgetown conducted a survey on HIV/AIDS in Barbados and came up with a damning report, that shook the whole country, for a while at least. Then it was discovered that the goodly Doctor had conducted his survey among his patients, who were mostly from the neighbouring red light district of Nelson Street. If the Pollsters had gone into a communing frequented by Guyanese, such a results would come forth. If they had gone into the Plantation Great Houses and some hotels,and exclusive areas, the result might have swayed in the direction of Ukranians or other Europeons. Nuff SAID.
And many remain until this day in Guyana.
Dem Bajan hightie tighty.
The Jamaicans no different. they want a college degree befor you even get a work permit.
So much for Caricom. Good thing that I have my stuff,
Extra…extra…..extra…read all about it…The killing fields of Jamrock require a college degree before obtaining a work permit while their citizens play the “Killing Fields”
Would be funny if it was not true.
“Keep it “LIT:
WHAT ?, I didn’t know that the world’s oldest profession origionated in Guyana’. Now Guyanese have something to brag about. lol…..The people in Barbados need to get a life, go fight real crime, if there was not a market for prostitution, they would not be there. Supply and demand,,,,it’s that good. It’s a pity we couldn’t keep them in Guyana to improve the GNP, what a waste of a good natural resource.
lol
Wise, wise poster. I salute you, LINDENBANNA. I like you name too.
I wish Mr. Norman Faria had expressed the same “outcry” when GY citizens were being harassed in Barbados as he has shown in this report. Shame on you Mr. Faria! Who cares what invalid or unscientific methodology they used to determine the findings…the information in now in the public domain and it has taken on a life of its own. Now…repair the damage… that is what you’re being paid to do.
Very good, Swat! He can even consult with( I don’t believe I am saying this) Mr. Bisram on the polling.
Like the song goes,,,”we build your schools, we build your penetentries, we build your economy, and now you turn around and treat us like fools”. Barbados was built by skilled Guyanese craftsmen, now that the recession is here, they want to get rid of us in any way they can, but just like Rome,,,Barbados will fall to the Ground, and our borders hopefully will be closed, unlike the early 1900’s when we took them in, I should know, my grandparents came to Guyana from Barbados…
……..my grandparents too but they all gone home…..i have no room an bajan coming to guyana………..lindenbanna what you are saying is true……one blogger say cat don’t no the world goes around until he head get stick in a sardin can ……you and i will live to see the return of bajans to guyana…
….i was suprise when i was in barbados a guyanese woman and her family was rented a pig pen to live in barbados…….it hit me hard when i saw the news in bajan land…….i can’t return to barbados……..
well i it is so nice to hear we guyanese can represent our self by speaking out our minds so that it could get the attention of our government so that they themself can take a step against this bull that guyanese are facing from these bajan who think they untop of the world but wait tourism is depleting lets see wat they will do and i hope the guyana government shun them anytime they turn to us for any help watsoever.
I have not read all of the above, but…
1. I do not like that pretentious guy Norman Faria from way way back.
I think he no good and should be removed
2. if the women have it and it is wanted, then….?
The Bajans have been treating Guyanese with utter disrespect, so it is not
beyond their continuing dislike to write distastefully. However, they should go after their own if their own are showing ‘other’preferences’ !
Touche(my computer doesn’t do accents any more)!