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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.”
High marks for the PPP government here. This man takes offence to the fact that the newspapers has ’sensationalized’ a fact -.the percentage might be in question given the representativeness of the sample – that Guyanese women work as prostitutes in Barbados. However, he seems proud to point “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”.
How vexing is this man? Dis ah wah we turn to unda this incepid government….HAIL KING JAGDEO!!!!
If Barbados want to keep Guyanese prostitute out of their country, then the Bajan women need to learn how to keep their men entertain at home.
whoa!
OUCH!
DMACK ….right on you are !! hehehehehe
That is why I made that comment in my post, to wit,
” However, they [de Bajans ] should go after their own if their own are showing ‘other’preferences’ !
When you good, you good !
It’s ECONOMICS Far-eye! If Guyana had better opportunities or FORESIGHT for its people to strive, then we won’t be having this discussion–regardless of percentage. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a survey to conclude that there’s a disproportionate number of Guyanese sex workers in Barbados–black and Indian. The only thing “disappointing” about the story is that it lacks a solution for these women along with Far-eye and his employer. And when it comes to “sensational” that remark is grossly exaggerated here. When would Far-eye prefer the media to cover it? When the number doubles or when a women gets abused, then killed GT style? So in this “global economic situation” things can really get WORSE for Guyanese. So let’s try to figure out a solution for all Guyanese toiling outside of Guyana. Maybe we can start singing, “Let’s cooperate for Guyana…”
Lejournalist……Let me see if I get this right,,,we are talking about prostitution,,,,right?, how we jump to the conclusion that if the economic situation falters that women will then turn to prostitution?, if this was the solution, America would be in better shape, because they have more Prostitutes, male and female than any place in the world. You have a very low estimation of Guyanese women, and that’s not good, not good at all.
Watch your moutn for you are not any different from the folks who did the survey You are in fact insulting all Guyanese women. It is very offensive for you to fix your mouth to talk such crap. Just re-read what you wrote and think before you speak. There is prostitution all over the world and since when because of the situation in Guyana the women are more deem to sell themselves than another countries.This mess is all over the place soooo please listen to yourself and if you do not have anything good to say about Guyanes women, please, please be quiet. Stop the madness .
Lindenbanna i agree with you
Boycott barbados……based on my expeirence they dont belive you can actually be young and afford to go on vacation in their country…you have to be going there for other reasons…they will search ya bags looking at the type of clothing ya bringing etc……….
i am still trying to figure out the real purpose of the survey.
i am guyanese woman marry to a bajan man and i met him in my homeland he was living with a bajan woman but was looking for a guyanese wife well he found one me. That is why these guyanese women talk so bad about gt women cause the bajan men like to make guyanese women there wives. guyanese women can cook,clean,be good mothers to their kids and a good lover to there husband not forgetting we are independent. HEATERS.
LOOK let me say first that i consider my self a patriot, i love guyanese people, in no way would i try to belittle the guyanese woman period, but i have to say that they are a lot of guyanese women who are in fact prostituting in barbados, they also can be found in trinidad, suriname and french guyana, why is this so? it means that guyanese in the whole would try to adapt to any situation if possible, guyana has no or very little opportunities for its people, so we look beyond for a way to survive, we look to greener pastures, the reason why all you guyanese living in the diaspora, but dont blame the guyanese women who are trying to survive, blame the present situation which prevails in guyana today.
there are prostitution all over the world and it is all about personal choices. What about the upscale Madams in places like the US and largers countries where the economy is better? They still do undesireable things to put themselves throught college, medical school or what not.
It is the oldest profession and it is not limited to just one group of folks. So now everyone is the expert on how and where Guyanese women sell themselves. What is this – that would mean that someone would have to be with each and every Guyanese woman in order to make such a general statements factual.
I always say – everyone has an opinion and thank goodness there are just opinions.
In 1972 Errol Barrow the then PM of Barbados congratulated Forbes Burnham on being the PM of the “Largest Barbados outside of Barbados” That tells you how many Bajans were in Guyana. My grand parents were from Bemshire, I have first cousins that are Bajans and I do not understand how these modern day Bajans like to treat us Guyanese so bad. They need to remember that It was a Bajan who objected to his child born in Guyana being called a Guyanese that asked “If a cat get kittens in the oven are they called bread?”
For a small island they sure know how to develop themselves……unlike this country……
……stop it sand man i expect better from you ……bajan don’t like to work…..what style of development you refering to…….they are still supervise by england……you hear the name little england…….
I DON’T AGREE WITH YOU ALL THE TIME, BUT WHAT YOU SAID HERE IS THE TRUTH. IN SPITE OF THE BAJAN NONSENSE TOWARDS GUYANESE, THE COUNTRY IS DEVELOPED, UNLIKE GUYANA…