Over the years, we have seen countless stories reported in the media of some form of gender-based violence; with women especially being at the receiving end of the beatings; and in some cases even end up being dead. Even though the government and other stakeholders have been engaged in various efforts to bring the situation under control, it seems as if the killings are far from over.
Just recently, this newspaper reported on the brutal murder of 37-year-old Lindener; Shenika London. It was reported that the victim was stabbed multiple times by her husband at her home at Amelia’s Ward, Mackenzie, Region 10. It should be mentioned that the woman’s youngest child who is two years old reportedly witnessed the entire episode.
In another recent case, a 26-year-old teacher; Tishaun Bess was found dead in a house at La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara. Her lifeless body was found hanging from the ceiling of her apartment days after she went missing. Relatives claimed that the relationship shared between the woman and her partner was an abusive one. As such, despite the incident initially appearing to be an act of suicide, they speculated that foul play was involved.
It could be recalled too that not so long ago, 29-year-old Dhanwantie Ram, a Parika resident, was found strangled on a sofa, with a bed sheet wrapped around her neck. The woman’s husband of 12 years was arrested for the crime. Here again, reports indicate that the victim and the suspect shared an abusive relationship. Due to the abuse, the woman was forced to leave her martial home with her three children a few days before she was killed.
These, of course, are just a few of the latest in a slew of cases that have taken the country by storm. The victims’ stories have been heartbreaking as many of them were killed after years of abuse and perhaps with very little help from those who should have provided the much needed support mechanisms. The bottom line is that something must be done urgently to arrest the situation as it is clear that what currently obtains have not been very effective.
We believe that there is an urgent need for all stakeholders, led by the government, to commence a national discourse on the issue once more. The aim should be to reassess and modify current strategies taking into account the lessons learnt from past experiences. While protection orders have been effective to an extent; quite often the abusers do not abide by them; hence the need to undertake an urgent review of mechanisms currently in place to protect women from being killed. It should be noted that on the day Ram was killed, she was making her way to the Police Station to lodge a report against her husband whom she had a restraining order against. She is not the only woman for whom a restraining order proved ineffective; there is also the case of Bhartie Udho, who was attacked and brutally chopped late last year. At the time of her death, a restraining order had been initiated against her partner as well.
Violence against women and children has tremendous costs to communities and nations and can remain with women and children for a lifetime. If not dealt with effectively, it can also pass from one generation to another. Numerous recommendations were made to the previous and current Administrations, yet nothing much has been forthcoming. It is therefore time for policy makers and other stakeholders to revisit the issue and come up with practical solutions to tackle the scourge in a holistic manner with greater focus on the root of the problem.
Over the years, the United Nations (UN) has been pushing countries towards implementing proactive measures to combat domestic violence. These measures have included criminalising gender-based violence, massive public awareness campaigns and providing training to equip both men and women to act as first responders and to support victims of the scourge at the community level.
Additionally, this newspaper had stated before that one of the greatest challenges Guyana faced in countering domestic violence, was in changing the attitudes of service providers – such as Police, magistrates, social workers, and healthcare providers. Importantly too is that the lackadaisical attitude of neighbours, relatives and others who are, in most cases, aware of domestic abuse cases but yet chose to remain silent also needs to change. Everyone needs to proactive in their response to the scourge.
