The Skeldon Declaration

On Monday, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security and its partners – the newly established Men’s Affairs Bureau (MAB), the Men Empowerment Network and UNICEF, which will provide the funding – piloted part of a plan to reduce the incidence of violence against women and girls at Skeldon, Corentyne, Berbice. The event, held at the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo) Skeldon Estate, saw men and boys 14 years and older signing the historic ‘Skeldon Declaration’ and in so doing, committing to non-violent relationships and pledging to respect and uphold the rights of women and children.

According to the ministry, the plan aims to reduce the incidence of domestic violence in general and violence against women and children in particular. In the long term, the ministry said, the plan will see extensive engagement with victims of abuse as well as abusers. It is being supported at the community level by various religious and non-governmental organisations.

Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud, a Berbician himself, led the charge, reminding his county-men of the high incidence of domestic violence in Berbice – hence the decision to launch at Skeldon. The theme for the launch was ‘No More Black and Blue’ and Minister Persaud told those gathered that non-violence did not make a man less of a man; a fundamental truth which many men obviously do not get. Unfortunately, a second fundamental truth is that for some, it will take more than a speech from Minister Persaud – if they even heard him in the first place – to make them grasp it. It is to be hoped that the Human Services Ministry, the MAB, the MEN and UNICEF understand this second fundamental truth and the extent to which it exists.

Rampant domestic violence in Berbice coupled with it being the county with the highest rate of suicides, points unerringly to a plethora of mental health issues in this county, which would include, but not be limited to, acute stress disorder, alcoholism, cannabis and cocaine dependence, depression and antisocial personality disorder. While there is tacit acknowledgement by officialdom that these issues exist in Berbice, there has never been a serious attempt to pin down the whys and wherefores. This would call for in-depth research, perhaps over a period of a few years, but it should be done and the sooner it gets started the better. If not, ten or twenty years down the road we will still be saying that Berbice has the highest incidence of these issues even though a lot of resources would have been thrown into dealing with them.

Therefore, while the Skeldon Declaration initiative – the signing of the pledge, that is – is commendable it could remain just ink on paper for many who would have signed on. That is, of course, unless the long-term plan of which the ministry spoke gets into gear very quickly.

It is more than possible that many of the men and even boys who signed Monday’s declaration have already used violence against another person. It is also probable that many of them may be habitual abusers. It does not take rocket science then to conclude that if that is the life they know, pledge cards in their pockets will not have one iota of influence on their behaviour. Change for some, however, can come through intense one-on-one and group counselling. There must be constant and consistent reinforcement of the values the declaration endeavours to instil.

Meanwhile, the ministry must at the same time be using its other partners to ensure that women and girls recognize that respect is a two-way street and that self-respect is what gives one the licence to traverse that street. Indeed, if boys have to be taught to respect women and girls and refrain from lashing out at them, this is teaching that ought to begin at home and for all children – by fathers where they exist and by mothers who parent alone. It should be continued at school, church and in the community – the message being that the resort to violence regardless of the circumstances, is wrong – although of course this is easier said than done. It is painfully obvious that in this society, the proponents of violence as a method of punishment or to solve an issue, far outweigh those against. The task ahead is arduous as a way must be found to end this vicious cycle, if there is to be any success.