More needs to be done by Human Services Ministry

Dear Editor,
Another abuse victim, who has been murdered by her abuser, was buried on May 6 in Guyana, and once again we hear how many people knew about the abuse but kept quiet. The local media recently carried an article stating that 62% of Guyanese normalise intimate partner violence (IPV), and agree that physical violence between couples is a private matter which should be handled by the couple themselves or their families, according to a Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOI).
But this is not news, so one may be justified in scratching one’s head if Government resources were spent on the poll, given that these realities should have been acted upon decades ago, and that such resources are more needed to fuel action to address the situation.
The fact is that, by a large majority (69%), a poll commissioned by The Caribbean Voice some years ago indicated that Guyanese feel that the Government is not doing enough to address domestic abuse. That figure may be greater today.
In response to a recent Facebook post calling for a national campaign aimed at changing attitudes and decimating the norm referenced by the LAPOI poll, Hon. Minister Dr. Vindhya Vasini Persaud stated, “Please note that there is such a campaign…I myself have spoken about it multiple times. As you know, attitudinal and behavioural changes do not occur overnight…there are many other programmes that are ongoing and to be launched”.
She added, “We have also launched the community advocates network, to train and work with communities”.
It’s not clear whether the national campaign to change attitudes and behaviour is the same as the community advocates network, so perhaps a clarification by the Hon Minister/her ministry would help.
In any case while, as the Hon Minister pointed out, “attitudinal and behavioural changes do not occur overnight”, shouldn’t there be both a sense of urgency and a national, rather than piecemeal, rollout relating to this campaign?
Then, again, perhaps both of these are happening, but shouldn’t related disseminated info be extensively and easily available online, on the website/Facebook pages of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, and in the media? How many communities, for example, have received the training? And what mechanisms are in place to ensure implementation, support and tracking?
In fact, another poll commissioned by The Caribbean Voice some years ago found that 58% of the population would be willing to volunteer in their communities to deal with abuse if they are provided with training and resources. And while we do understand that a limited number of trainers can only do so much, has the Ministry considered train-the-trainer training for groups of individuals in every region, so they can then train others?
In increasingly larger numbers, Guyanese need to know, be facilitated to use that knowledge, and be supported to bring about the requisite changes so urgently and critically needed. And The Caribbean Voice has reached out to the Hon Minister, offering to help with disseminating such info through our nine social media accounts, which garner over 500,000 views monthly, and our recently launched online flipbook magazine that has already amassed over 100,000 readerships. Also, we have an ongoing series of virtual panel discussions (PDs) that drawn panelists from across the Caribbean and Diaspora – activists, advocates, victims/survivors, policy makers, experts and specialists, researchers, academics, institutions and NGOs.
We recall inviting the Hon Minister and/or her ministry’s rep to two such PDs on domestic violence, but we never received any response.
As well, The Caribbean Voice last year launched Project Change Agent, a four-year project to help tackle domestic violence across the Caribbean. At the crux of this project is a high school essay contest for 15-to-18-year-olds, focusing on domestic violence and based significantly on primary research within communities, to be launched during the 2023/24 school year. Regional winners will receive first, second and third place prizes of US$3000, $2,000 and $1,000 respectively, and national winners will also receive prizes along with certificates. From among participants, groups of young people will be trained and empowered to become domestic violence change agents within their communities.
We invite Hon. Minister Dr. Vindhya Vasini Persaud and her ministry to collaborate with The Caribbean Voice on the Guyana leg of this project. The fact is that no one is saying that addressing domestic violence is either east or simple, but there are hundreds of volunteer advocates and activists in this field in Guyana and the Diaspora, along with tens of NGOs and others, including religious institutions that are willing to help.
Isn’t it time for the Ministry to harness and enable ALL stakeholders (advocates, activists, organisations, Police, the business community, regional and NDC administrations, professional groups et al) in a concerted, rather than ad hoc, effort to stop the wanton abuse and killing of our women and girls?
Don’t get us wrong; The Caribbean Voice is of the view that Minister Hon Dr Vindhya Vasini Persaud has done more to address domestic violence than all previous Ministers since 1992. We also feel that she has been the most proactive Minister, one of the few interacting widely with people on the ground, and very responsive both on and off line. She connects, she grounds with people, she is empathetic and compassionate, and yes, she may very well be overwhelmed. But making a difference is in her genes, and given how much more needs to be done and the fact that lives are being lost almost daily while abuse and femicide are on the increase, we know that the Hon Minister has both the passion and capacity to do more. We therefore make a heartfelt appeal for her to do so.

Sincerely,
Annan Boodram