A slap in the face to domestic violence victims

This image of Rihanna’s battered face was posted on showbiz website TMZ shortly after Chris Brown was charged with assaulting her in 2009. The photo, taken for police records, was leaked to the website and soon after went viral.

There are two sides of Chris Brown. One side is a violent man who can use his own two hands to mercilessly brutalise a woman he supposedly loves. The other side is a man who can dance and sing to entertain the world. One side is a convicted criminal. The other side is a smiling performer.

And there are two sides of the Government of Guyana. One side announced a “no nonsense” approach to domestic abuse and vowed “not to sit idly by and allow Guyanese women to continue suffering at the hands of violent spouses.” The other side glorifies a convicted woman abuser by bringing him to entertain the nation.

One side of the government says, “It is a criminal and abhorrent act when any woman is abused emotionally, mentally or physically and no woman should be a victim of sexual or