First Lady, Sandra Granger yesterday facilitated a conversation on domestic violence at a special staff meeting organized by Power Producers and Distributors Incorporated (PPDI) held at the Herdmanston Lodge.
A release from the Ministry of the Presidency said that she called for a concerted effort to tackle the scourge.
Speaking to an audience of predominantly male participants, Mrs. Granger said that domestic violence remains a challenge in Guyana.
“Domestic violence in Guyana cuts across all ages, all races, all regions and all religions. While both males and females are victims, the majority of victims tend to be female. In 2011, of the 3,892 reported cases of domestic violence, 3,243 were female. In 2012, there were 2,267 female victims as opposed to 467 males. Of a total of 3,243 in 2013, 2,737 were female. In 2014, there were 2,467 female victims out of a total of 3,067 while there were 2,089 female victims out of a total of 2,588 in 2015. Out of a total of 2,109 in 2016, 1,756 were women and in 2017, there were 1,764 female victims out of a total of 2,118. In essence, over 80 percent of the victims are females,” the First Lady said.
In an invited comment, PPDI’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Aaron Fraser, explained that the organisation noted that the issue has become a topic of concern, particularly in the past few months and felt that action had to be taken. “We’ve recognised that it’s a prevalent ill in society so we thought that we should be proactive and deal with the issue head on instead of being reactive and waiting until one of our employees suffers from domestic abuse or perpetuates domestic abuse so that was the objective of having the First Lady speak on this topic today,” he stated, according to the press release.
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