The Human Services and Amerindian Affairs ministries and other organisations met on Wednesday as an oversight committee to discuss ways of ensuring that measures are implemented to combat domestic violence.
A Government Information Agency press release said the committee has been set up to oversee the implementation of the domestic violence policy. It comprises the Red Thread, National Congress of Women, Women’s Progressive Organisation and the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers. Minister of Human Services and Social Security Priya Manickchand said the implementation would ensure that, “victims get better services and hopefully we can eradicate domestic violence from our midst.” The minister said neither the ministry nor government could tackle the issue alone and therefore she was calling on citizens to get involved. “We are examining ways in which we can put a plan of action in place. There are those in the long-term and many in the short-term that can be done which don’t cost much and just require a commitment from the various sectors to ensure that things are done so persons who access these services can benefit in a speedy manner,” Manickchand said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai added that the meeting was successful because it brought together the key stakeholders interested in reducing domestic violence. “I am also happy that we are moving [at] a higher level to ensure that implementation is more effective… for the Amerindian Affairs ministry we are happy because we will be engaged with our communities in devising ways on how the service can be delivered to our communities,” she said.
Sukhai said too that it would be a difficult task to give the best that will be available because many of the reporting and service agencies are located far away from the communities. Sukhai said too more effective reporting and response to domestic violence reports are needed and that a special area for dealing with domestic abuse will be established at selected health centres. Two central health centres will be located in the Mabaruma Sub-district and in Lethem where there are district hospitals. “In our communities we will try to do our best to educate residents and community members to recognise domestic violence and to deal with it effectively… our ministry will take a very hard stand on this,” the minister said.
President of the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers, Gem Sanford-Johnson said that the association organised a small lecture for Amerindian women who were currently in the city for Carifesta events. “We sought the opportunity to get to them because going to the interior is very expensive,” she said, adding that many of the women had complained that the issue was rife in the interior and that they feel helpless as it is difficult to access help in such far-flung areas.
In closing, Manickchand said, “We expect that victims are going to be treated a lot better by service providers so that it will build confidence in the system which will help persons to make more reports. And then if the system works and perpetrators are treated the way we would like to see them treated as criminals then that may work itself as a deterrent.”
