Citizens should speak out against Gender-Based Violence – First Lady

First Lady Sandra Granger is urging citizens to speak out against Gender-Based Violence, stating that the adherence to human rights begins with education and the development of mutual respect.

Granger was delivering her remarks at the closing ceremony of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), hosted by the Delegation of the European Union (EU) in Guyana, at its office in Sendall Place, Georgetown. She stated that women and girls continue to be victims of physical and psychological violence in society and, therefore, early education on Gender-Based Violence would create wider knowledge and better understanding of the permanent damage caused by this type of abuse.
She urged witnesses of abuse to speak out and not remain silent. “We must speak out when onlookers express amusement when a woman or girl is being beaten by a partner… We must make our voices heard when anyone is being ridiculed and demeaned. We must demand that our laws be enforced when our girls are trafficked and treated as commodities in the most vulgar way,” Granger said.
Ambassador of the Delegation of the EU to Guyana, Jernej Videtič said that while inequality and violation of human rights continued to pose a challenge across the world, it was important that society defended the rights of people.
“This year, the European Union joins the United Nations in calling upon people to stand up for someone’s rights… That is the theme for this year’s Human Rights Day; ‘Stand up for someone’s rights’… Each of us has an individual responsibility to stand up for his rights,” he said.
Ambassador Videtič further stated that the EU would continue to play a pivotal role in the promotion of rules based on global order with respect for human rights.
“The EU works hard on improving human rights in its member states, countries, and EU delegations all around the world are working tirelessly to defend human rights in their host countries. The EU remains a vocal advocate for human rights in multilateral fora and lends its full support to the UN human rights system, which is fundamental to protecting universal human rights and monitoring compliance,” Videtič said.
Social Protection Ministry Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit Manager Akeela Doris said the Ministry continued to offer counselling services to victims of any form of violence, and the Ministry has recently established a Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit in aimed at tackling Gender-Based Violence.