Dear Editor,
Yesterday, November 25, 2011, the world observed International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) and the start of 16 days of activism against violence against women.
Between January 1 and October 31, 2011, a total of 819 adults and 173 children accessed Help & Shelter’s face-to-face, hotline, court support, advisory and referral counselling and shelter services. Since we opened on November 25, 1995, Help & Shelter has provided a range of domestic violence, sexual violence, child abuse and child exploitation counselling services to over 9,000 Guyanese.
Help & Shelter welcomes the recent initiative taken by the Georgetown Public Hospital and the Ministry of Health to train health workers in the treatment and prevention of Intimate Partner Violence. As we know, domestic violence not only causes deaths and serious injuries but also leads to chronic illnesses and mental health issues.
This year, as IDEVAW and the 16 days of activism coincide with Guyana’s national and regional elections, we of Help & Shelter, with our considerable experience and years of service, urge that in order to effectively address the ever-escalating level of domestic violence whoever forms the new government should ensure the effective implementation of the National Domestic Violence Policy (NDVP).
The purpose of the NDVP is to inform and guide the government’s interventions in activities and programmes towards the prevention of domestic violence and the provision of
services to victims/survivors. It is multi-sectoral and recognises the need for community-based interventions and for the acquisition and provision of the necessary resources to address domestic violence in a coherent and comprehensive manner. The NDVP contains provisions for:
1. the monitoring and the enforcement of legal sanctions, in particular those contained in the Domestic Violence Act;
2. providing services for survivors and perpetrators;
3. the mounting of public education programmes on domestic violence;
4. building the capacity of rural and hinterland communities to respond to domestic violence;
5. decentralization of responsibilities for Domestic Violence Act compliance and domestic violence initiatives; and
6. making provision for interventions with persons with disabilities and the elderly, etc.
As a country we need to maximize and pool our resources and expertise by working collectively to address the rampant domestic violence stalking our country. For too long, efforts have been uncoordinated and partisan.
The new government should also secure the immediate establishment by the Guyana Police Force – whose recently issued crime statistics show a 21% increase in domestic related murders – of regional domestic and sexual violence units with specially trained officers who will work closely with other front line agencies in the fight against domestic violence. Many of the smaller Caribbean countries already have such units operating successfully.
In 2010, Magistrate Tejnarine Ramroop, who was assigned to Albion Magistrates Court, reported that in all of the domestic violence cases before him, alcohol consumption played a major role. We have to stop the rhetoric and insist that the Liquor Licensing Board enforce the statutory provisions for the granting and renewal of licenses for the sale of alcohol throughout Guyana.
The private sector companies who are in the business of making or selling alcohol products must be encouraged to play their role in addressing the use, abuse and addiction to alcohol which plagues Guyana.
Health centres throughout Guyana must extend services for the prevention and treatment of alcoholics and offer support services for the families of alcoholics.
Domestic violence cuts across class, income, ethnicity, age, geographic location, sex, sexual orientation and occupation. According to Dr Rosina Wiltshire, Caricom‘s Advocate for Gender Justice, until violence against women is addressed “the downward slide of societies across the region, including growing violence in schools and communities, would continue.”
Finally, let us remember and honour all those who have lost their lives to domestic violence. Let us also remember all those who are without mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandmothers, cousins, aunts, and friends. And as we remember Radika Singh, Neesa Gopaul, Donna Williams, Tessa Romascindo, Hansranie Sewdatt, Verone Pattoir, Ralph Matthews,
Radika Ramjattan, Marie Alves da Silva, Okema Todd, Donna Lakeram, Snobia James, Salima Mohammed, Jairol Rohoman, Liloutie Seeram Ester ‘Kamla’ Albert and so many others, let us renew our commitment to Stop the Violence.
Yours faithfully,
Danuta Radzik
Salima Bacchus-Hinds
Gaitrie Shivsankar
Parbattie Ramlall
Denise Dias
Josephine Whitehead
For Help & Shelter
