Efforts underway to establish Domestic Violence Centre in Linden

Linden, in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), is the next place slated to have a Domestic Violence Shelter established, to provide assistance to victims and survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. This is according to Manager of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit within the Ministry of Social Protection, Akilah Dorris.

She indicated earlier this week that a building in the community has already been

Manager of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit, Akilah Dorris

identified, and the ministry is hoping to conduct rehabilitation works to it soon. Last year, the ministry would have met with representatives of the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), and expressed the interest in collaborating in terms of establishing a Centre for Domestic Violence survivors in the town. Dorris said that given the prevalence of domestic violence incidents in Guyana, and the increase in its incidence, the ministry has decided to embark on numerous ambitious initiatives to combat this scourge. She said the need to provide an alternative option for victims of domestic and sexual violence was recognized, in addition to the fact that such services need to be decentralised. One such option, she stressed, is to provide temporary accommodation so that victims can be removed from abusive situations and get their lives back on track.

Dorris explained further that it is the intention of the ministry to establish at least one Domestic Violence Shelter in each Region across the country. The initiative, she said, is also supported by Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, as she noted that it is definitely a path which the ministry would be embarking on.

“We were able to identify a building (in Linden), and the ministry has agreed to undertake full rehabilitation of the part of the building that will be used to establish this shelter. We did some preliminary assessments of the building to ascertain an average cost that the Ministry of Social Protection will have to bear financially to get this up and running,” Dorris told Guyana Times.

She said the ministry is aware there in place is a Management Committee which has oversight responsibility for the management of the building, since it is being used for other purposes. She stated that another meeting is planned in relation to the initiative.

“So we intend to have that meeting again, and very shortly; because we’re really hoping that we can at least commence the rehabilitation works by the 1st of July, 2017. We recognise that we need to continue increasing the services, especially the Shelter Services or temporary accommodations for survivors — those bold women who would have made that well-informed decision to escape an abusive relationship. They often times wonder: ‘If I leave, where can I go? What will I do?’

Hence Dorris noted that, as part of its communication strategy, the ministry has several programmes which are being implemented. One such is the temporary assistance programme to assist survivors of domestic and sexual violence, which is intended to provide temporary accommodation to those survivors who may not have anywhere else to go.

“We are prepared to rent a place for them, furnish it with the basic furnishings, ensure that their children continue schooling, ensure that there’s minimal disruption to their livelihood and the education of their children,” Dorris explained.

Also, through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) and the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute, the ministry further intends to build the capacity of these survivors by teaching them new skills that can be used so that they can become employable. Additionally, Dorris pointed out that through the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency within the Social Protection Ministry, some of these women will be enlisted in an effort to secure jobs.

“What we intend to do is not just train them in any kind of skills training, but with those skills that are needed — that employers are asking for, so that there will be a smooth transition. Of course the temporary assistance programme is not a permanent programme; it’s intended to enable survivors to be able to be on their own and be able to take care of their families. So after a time, they will be weaned off of the programme so that other vulnerable survivors and their dependents can come into the programme and benefit from it”.

While alluding to efforts that have already been made to rehabilitate Domestic Violence Centres at Corriverton and Whim in Berbice, Doris made it clear that Linden is also a priority area, as much as the rest of the country. (Utamu Belle)