Stella Ramsaroop

‘I would just like to tell you a little story, my mom committed suicide when I was six years old, I’m the only girl and youngest of three kids.

During my work as an advocate for women, I cannot even begin to count the number of times a man has asked me, “What about the men?”

I have never written about abortion before because I attempt to steer clear of polarising subjects.

Everything was going swimmingly. I had done my research, knew exactly what type of car I wanted and was taking that car for a test drive.

Lately, I have been reading about men around the world who are taking some dramatic steps to fight for women’s rights.

This is my first column for the year and as such, I would like to address a topic that is always close to my heart, violence against women.

I don’t know if you have noticed it, but Guyana’s women are waking up.

Christmas is the time of year when you find hope even when hope is hard to find and when you make wishes for life to be better for yourself as well as for those around you.

Yet another man in a high position is accused of violence against a woman.

The feminist movement heydays were long over before I even knew I needed to stand up for my own rights.

“It is clear that these people think women are not thinkers, we are only relegated to certain labour jobs and to bring all the mammy elements.

The elections are upon us and this year has seen more focus on women’s issues on the political platforms than ever before.

When I was in the Seventh Grade (about 12 or 13 years old), two male classmates came up to me and grabbed my breasts.

“You know this is not really a matter of women’s liberation, it is really a matter of survival.”

When I found out that my eldest daughter was diagnosed with the human papillomavirus (HPV), I was more than a bit distressed.

Within the last three weeks, there have been reports of women being assaulted, both verbally and physically, while participating in politics.

I have had both men and women tell me that in Guyana, some women are as cruel to women as some men are.

These two words, presidential backball, seem contradictory – as if the two words should never be uttered in the same breath.

In 2003, a national survey of 446 women from the ten administrative regions in Guyana was conducted by Roxanne Myers with the assistance of UG students, on the political participation of women in Guyana.

Today is the first day of October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness month.