Human Services Ministry introduces survivor’s kit for abused victims

To further enhance efforts to remove victims of violence or abuse from unsafe environments, the Human Services and Social Security on Thursday introduced its survivor’s kit, which has been created for these persons.

Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud has explained that many persons are removed from such settings with little to no personal belongings to regain control of their lives. As such, the kits contain food supplies and other necessities to sustain them for a short time before they can access other assistance.
“They complement the work that the Ministry has been doing, in that when people want to leave abusive, violent relationships and circumstances, they have a pack that has basic items. When they’re leaving, many of them just leave with the clothing on their backs, and they’re thinking how can they help themselves in that immediate moment or in those immediate periods right after leaving. These survivor kits will be made available to those persons who need them, and we do have a mechanism,” she detailed.
There currently are 15 survivors’ advocates across the regions, and those would receive the kits and distribute them as needed when cases reach their attention.
“These (kits) will be placed in their custody, so once there is someone who needs it, it will be handed over to that person; and, of course, they get practical help right at that point from our survivors’ advocates. They are intended to walk a person through whatever it is they’re trying to navigate at that period of time, if they’re experiencing violence or abuse.
“Later as we extend this programme, more of these kits will be available. They are expected to be available to any of the Ministry’s locations, our regional offices, central offices. As the programme continues, we will be constantly monitoring how this works, so if there is need to expand it further, we will make every provision to do so,” she added.
Dr Persaud has said that survivors’ advocates have been trained to handle survivors, and the Ministry is seeking to place more persons in this capacity in order to bolster the response to violence and abuse. She has assured that, with the kits, persons in abusive situations would know that there is a network in place to assist them.
Speaking on the other initiatives of the Ministry, Dr Persaud said, “First, we would have signed onto the Spotlight initiative, and there are other very important things that will be dealt with, such as legislation, strengthening our service delivery, and also looking at access to remote and difficult areas.”
This launch is part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, being observed under the theme “Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now!”
It is an annual campaign that begins on Nov 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until December 10, when Human Rights Day is observed. This campaign was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991, and continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership.
There is a 914 hotline which can provide services to victims of abuse.