As the rate of women being brutally murdered by their abusive partners continue to rise, the scourge of domestic violence (DV) is being tackled in a new way.
According to Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Human Services Dr Patrick Findlay, educational sessions are being held with students at 17 secondary schools in Georgetown and its environs.
This move, according to him, is all part of the National Conversation on Domestic Violence, a countrywide community outreach programme where effects, causes and recommendations are discussed. The programme was re-launched earlier this year by Human Services Minister Jennifer Webster.
During an interview earlier this week, Findlay said that on that day third, fourth and fifth form students of the North Georgetown and Annandale Secondary schools were being targeted.
He explained that there is a firm belief that school children can break the cycle of domestic violence as in the years to come they will themselves be involved in relationships and once they can understand how DV affects the family, what are the causes and the recommendations, “we can have them come on board and work with us on this”.
He explained that just recently he returned from the hinterland – Lethem, Mahdia and Ituni/Kwakwani – where national conversations were held.
While noting that such forums bring groups of people from the different communities together, he said, “We have been doing things. We have done a number of things but apparently these things are somehow not working”.
He said that this programme allows ministry officials and members of the community to sit together and discuss the issue. Among some of the recommendations made for fighting DV are more policing groups, more counselling facilities and more awareness/education sessions.
Asked about the Stamp it Out Campaign and the White Zones, Findlay said that both programmes are still functional. He said the Stamp it out Campaign is working to some point. “To tell you that it is working the way that we want it to work I would shudder, because we expect more. But this is the reality,” he said.
With regard to the white zones, he said that because of people’s cultural upbringing and gender and social construct, they don’t utilise these places. “People are not using these facilities the way that they should. We have them there,” he noted.
The two programmes were started by former human services Minister Priya Manickchand.
Findlay indicated that enough resources to fight DV would never be available but once the need arise resources will be pulled from other departments.
“We always have to ensure that we are able to deal with this issue because it is on the front burner,” he said noting that there are counsellors and probation officers in every region.
He admitted that DV should be of serious concern as the number of women killed has been increasing over the years, with 26 so far for this year most as a result of DV. He pointed out that the trend is that the murders are becoming more brutal and are often followed by suicide.
According to Findlay, the ministry longs for more men who are victims to come forward. “We have to meet men in their own environment. We have been able to do some work with men but we have not succeeded in getting men to come to these sessions [national conversations].”
Stabroek News was told that efforts were made to ascertain the cause of DV and when speaking to men it often comes back to them feeling that “no one is listening to them. As a result they may try options. There is a perception that men are not listened to. Men do not have rights so all of these things cause the increase”.
Findlay said the outreach sessions are a step towards successfully fighting DV. “Education will definitely make a dent in what is happening. It is a must and everywhere we have been, everyone has said to us that we need to continue these sessions because people need to hear how to handle conflicts, how to handle anger”. He said that sensitisation needed to be done on a continuous basis pointing out that all government ministries are now on board.
Empowerment
For him, the empowerment is a key factor in the fight, because if a woman can elevate herself to a point where she does not have to depend on her partner, especially financially, she can leave the relationship and be able to adequately look after herself and child/children.
“It is a sad phenomenon that most of the deaths we have seen are along those lines where they endure abuse. It starts small and then it gets worst. I would love for all women to be empowered. This means, for me, get a good education, be able to help yourself,” he said, adding that most times women remain in abusive relationships because they feel they cannot do better.
“There is no education, no skills nothing. I would advise our women to equip themselves,” he said.
He added that if a woman is in an abusive relationship, she needs to speak out and put aside the embarrassment, either by telling someone that her partner respects or utilizing the services that the ministry has.
Some people refuse to use the service because of the stigma.
According to Pastor Findlay, community leaders also have a role to play.
“I believe that one of the real big problems is our inability to communicate properly. We don’t listen to our spouse or mate. I believe that our relationships today have moved away from the love there used to be. There is little or no love in relationships now. What we have are arrangements. There is no love, no compassion, no feelings. My advice is to put love back in our relationships, love people and care for them and take away lust,” he stressed.
The last woman to die at the hands of her partner was Allison Bowen, of Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara. The woman had endured eight years of abuse at the hands of her partner, Alex Douglas, who has since been charged with murder.
Douglas allegedly stabbed the woman multiple times earlier this month, bringing an end to their rocky eight-year relationship, during which numerous police reports were made about the man’s behaviour. Douglas was never previously charged with abusing the mother of three.
Based on the accounts given to Stabroek News, earlier in the day, the couple had a misunderstanding during which the man attempted to hit Bowen with a hammer. He later butted her to the forehead, resulting in it being swollen. Bowen reported the incident to the police and visited the Georgetown Hospital where she obtained a medical.
However, when police visited the house to arrest the man he had already left. He returned later around 8.30 pm and the woman left the house to get her sister who lives nearby. While they were going to the house together, the sisters met the man and there was a confrontation during which Bowen’s sister questioned him as to why he was always being abusive to Bowen.
Reports are that the man attempted to force Bowen to eat some rat poison he had in a butter bowl and when she refused to consume it he pulled out a knife and started stabbing her. Relatives said she was stabbed some 14 times.
The man fled the scene after the incident and the following morning he was spotted walking along Camp Street. As the police approached he was seen putting something into his mouth.
He was admitted to the Georgetown Hospital in an unconscious state and later discharged.
