Dear Editor,

We are all aware of the pandemic of violence, including domestic and sexual violence and child abuse that has infected and continues to spread throughout Guyanese communities. Domestic violence is responsible for more deaths, physical and psychological injuries, and loss of skills in Guyana than HIV/AIDS, yet gets a fraction of available funding.

If we want to solve the problem as a country we need to not only talk the talk but walk the walk.

Help & Shelter has worked for the past 14 years to prevent all forms of violence and in particular domestic and sexual violence and child abuse, and to provide counselling, shelter and other support services to survivors. We are at present at risk of not being able to continue our crisis centre counselling services – which include court support for children and adults who have been sexually abused or who are applying for domestic violence protection orders – after the end of May.

Our work in schools with children, teachers, PTAs and with pre- and post-natal mothers and fathers at health centres and one of our community-based violence reduction programmes focusing on child abuse are also at risk of imminent closure.

As a country, we need to decide if we are truly committed to ending the scourge of domestic and sexual violence and child abuse. If we are, then we need to do the following;

Fully and transparently implement the National Domestic Violence Policy (NDVP). Experience has shown that piecemeal approaches to domestic violence prevention have limited impact.

Allocate adequate funds for countrywide quality counselling services, public education programmes, revision of the DVA and training in implementation of essential service providers protocols.

Scale up, decentralize and improve the quality of services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence and child abuse.

Network with and employ persons/organizations with the necessary expertise and experience.

Monitor and evaluate  the implementation of all government programmes and the NDVP.

We also need to move beyond regarding just the implementation of activities or number of persons reached/trained as the yardstick and measure of success. It is what happens after the activity, consultation or meeting that is the real determinant of success. In other words, we need to see if real results have been achieved.

We also cannot expect to achieve any reduction of violence without educating, empowering, training and giving financial and other support to community-based initiatives.

Yours faithfully,
Denise Dias
Danuta Radzik
Vidyaratha Kissoon
Josephine Whitehead
For Help & Shelter