Canadian High Commissioner urges attitude change toward violence

The High Commission of Canada partnered with the Social Protection Ministry and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to organise a self-defence workshop as part of the

High Commission’s observation of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

Representatives from Government and non-governmental agencies gathered at the High Commission on Saturday before setting off for the bandstand at the Kingston seawall.

With the understanding that the 16 days of activism were also a call to action, the High Commission went a little further than the awareness raising campaign by organising a session in basic self-defence techniques.

Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Pierre Giroux said that unequal treatment of women and girls was one of the main reasons they were unable to realise their basic human rights and was also a contributing factor to violence against them. He called for a change in attitude towards violence against women or anyone in society.

Instructors from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) volunteered their skills, demonstrating how to counter common attack methodologies and also responding to specific requests from attendees.

Many participants shared that they found the session so useful, they would like regular sessions on self-defence in the future.

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign began on November 25 and ends on December 10, Human Rights Day. This year, the theme of the United Nations campaign to end violence against women is “Orange the World: Raise Money to End Violence against Women and Girls”.

Canada has been at the forefront of advocating for the elimination of violence against women for over 20 years. In 2015, through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), Canada supported the operationalisation of the Domestic Violence Unit at the Social Protection Ministry. Through CFLI, Canada also supported groundwork for the launching of a Gender Studies course at the University of Guyana.