GTT makes Help & Shelter hotline number toll free

Just a week after the Social Protection Ministry’s Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit set up a hotline for persons being abused, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited (GTT) has collaborated with Help and Shelter to make its hotline numbers free of charge in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Danuta Radzik, a representative from Help and Shelter, expressed gratitude to GTT for this assistance in curbing domestic violence in Guyana.
“We at Help and Shelter are pleased to have this toll-free service from GTT. Sometimes persons are unable to call the hotline number because of a lack of credit on their phone; this is a real impediment. This initiative will assist persons to get the help they need and it is a great boost for us to assist the abused in Guyana. This partnership and support are truly welcome,” Radzik noted.
On the other hand, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of GTT, Jasmine Harris noted, “We are all in this together and GTT is happy to support the Help and Shelter Organisation in its effort to confidentially assist those who are most vulnerable, especially during this pandemic.”
Mounting data suggests that domestic abuse is acting as an opportunistic infection, flourishing in the conditions created by the pandemic. The United Nations on Sunday called for urgent action to combat the worldwide surge in such violence.
Meanwhile, persons are encouraged to call 0910 if they are victims or know victims of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual violence, and human trafficking cases.
The company, in light of the restrictions on the public and the call for citizens to stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary, implemented this initiative.