Dear Editor,
In a recent statement circulated by recipients of the Caricom Triennial Award for women, it was noted that Caribbean countries have amongst the highest rates of sexual assault in the world, according to a recent World Bank study on crime and violence. Yet, those who work with victims of sexual assault can testify to the extent to which sexual assaults are under-reported to the police. There are many reasons why women victims of rape fail to seek redress, and, if they do, the state and their community may not always support them.
There is no doubt that networks of familiarity in small societies can compromise effective state response. It is precisely the small size and absence of social distance between alleged perpetrators and responsible state officials (police, prosecutors, medical workers) that pose a threat to the rule of law.
Human rights, women and men’s organizations have a responsibility to pay close attention to the treatment and circumstances of women who have alleged sexual assault, understanding that anything less than dispassionate and efficient responses perpetuate acceptance of women’s vulnerability, and therefore gender inequality.
According to a statement from the Latin America and Caribbean Women’s Health Network, it is in such a spirit of concern that the defenders of women’s human rights in Nicaragua have relentlessly kept their commitment to improving women’s living conditions and health in Nicaragua, especially among the poorest and most vulnerable. They have put themselves on the front line of the social struggle for rights, and because of their dedication, they are at serious risk under the campaign orchestrated against them by the government in Nicaragua. This manifests itself through direct threats against their lives, and the lives of their families.
Reports from the Cayman Islands speak to the sad fact that a strong advocate against violence to women suffered a gruesome death when she was abducted, raped, murdered, and burnt beyond immediate recognition. Strong speculation is that this horrific deed may have been the work of an ex-prisoner who was convicted based on her evidence. She ran the Crisis Centre, and was required to give statements in court. She received death threats from time to time.
In Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago and St Vincent & The Grenadines, men have murdered their wives, then committed suicide, over domestic disputes, when women tried to flee from situations of violence within the home. In Guyana, an uncle raped his niece, who was under the age of sexual consent, resulting in her pregnancy. The state intervened, but when the matter came to court three years later, the niece said she did not wish to bring charges against her uncle, because he was her only means of support.
The violence is perpetuated by the state and judiciary, first in levels of poverty forcing women to accept sexual assault as a fact of life, and the powerlessness of the judiciary to administer justice, because of existing state laws.
On November 25, we joined in solidarity with women who are suffering from violence in all its forms, with survivors who have achieved worthy careers for themselves, and with the defenders of human rights, so let us reflect on the origin of this day.
It was the Mirabal sisters who paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives, at the hands of an unjust regime in the Dominican Republic. In their name, and for the cause of those after them, and for those who are suffering even now, let us begin with ourselves to build a culture of peace.
Let us march forward fearlessly to defend our right to a life free of violence. Let us speak with one voice, for as long as deadly perpetrators of violence stalk our homes, communities and systems of government, silence is not golden.
Yours faithfully,
Nelcia Robinson Hazell
Coordinator
Caribbean Association
for Feminist Research
and Action (CAFRA)
