Guyana has taken a significant step towards addressing domestic violence as a national priority with the launching of the 914 hotline.
Noteworthy is that Human Services Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud, at the launching of the hotline on Thursday, said that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an almost 50% reduction in domestic violence reports. A comparison of the corresponding period in 2019 shows there were about 1,009 domestic violence reports as compared to 569 in 2020. The Minister was correct in her rationale when she said the reason for this is that “perpetrators of violence are some of the closest people to you”.
Countries around the world, including Guyana, are engaged in a fierce battle to prevent the spread of COVID-19, with most of them implementing total or partial lockdowns to contain the further spread of the disease. Limiting or controlling the movement of persons is perhaps the surest way to control the spread of the virus, but, in some homes, this lockdown has resulted in women facing more pressure, and has even resulted in them being at the receiving end of some form of violence.
According to the United Nations, the upsurge in violence is not limited to one country or one region. Media reports are documenting an increase in violence across the globe – from Argentina, to China to Germany to Turkey to Honduras to South Africa to the United Kingdom and the United States, to name just a few.
The UN recently pointed to reports from countries around the world which suggest that restrictions in movement, social isolation coupled with increased social and economic pressures, are leading to an increase in violence in the home. Earlier this year, UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed detailed the many problems women are faced with during this lockdown, and made recommendations in relation to various forms of support governments and other partners could provide to ensure women are able to confront these challenges. According to Deputy SG Mohammed, women bear the brunt of increased care-work during this pandemic.
School closures further worsen this burden and place more stress on women. The disruption of livelihoods and women’s ability to earn a living – especially for those women who are informal wage workers – would decrease access to basic needs and services. This situation increases stress on families, with the potential to intensify conflict and violence. According to the UN, women across the world are suffering even more now due to the extra economic and social stresses caused by a radical shift away from normal life. It is clear that when women and girls are ‘locked down’ in their homes with abusive partners, they are at much greater risk than ever before, she said.
Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, Guyana has had an intractable domestic violence problem. In many of these cases, children often witness such brutality being meted out against their parent. In a recent case in Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) it was in fact a couple’s teen son who rushed to his mother’s aid as she was being stabbed by his father. The child in fact had to push his father aside while telling his mother, who was covered in blood, to run for her life.
The magnitude of the impact of this scene on that child, and children who witness these incidents, cannot be underestimated. Those ghastly images, especially when life was snuffed out, are not only lasting, but profoundly traumatising. When young minds are so broadsided, the impact, if not managed, lingers for life. Not that they are erasable, but with meaningful and sustained interventions, the trauma can potentially be mitigated, thereby aiding to better shaped lives. The entire spectrum of what therefore constitutes counselling then becomes vital.
The launching of the 914 hotline and the previous announcement of a safe space for persons who may be experiencing violence during the lockdown period are quite commendable, and all stakeholders should offer their support in whatever way they can to ensure women and children are protected and safe during these difficult times. According to the UN, everyone has a responsibility to act, from individuals to governments, from the UN to business and civil society.
