Guyana is at the moment so swamped with news in relation to the spread of the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) and post elections fiasco that the news of the recent murder of two women – one in Linden and the other in Bartica – probably attracted very little attention.
These two most recent cases are just a few on the long list of women who have been murdered over the years, most times during domestic disputes, and in other times when they were innocently caught up with their partners in gang violence etc., as in the case with the Linden victim.
Over the years, there have been 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 ending up dead. 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 has not been very effective. 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 many women who were killed in the past had restraining orders preventing their abusers from getting close to them, but they still ended up being dead.
As in the case of the 37-year-old Bartica woman who was reportedly axed to death by her jealous husband, the victim had filed a Police complaint against her partner with whom she had once shared a common-law relationship. It is understood that the woman endured years of abuse at his hands, and had only ended her years-long marriage with her attacker several months ago. On the day in question, she was murdered in front of her children.
Certainly, 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.
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; undertaking massive public awareness campaigns, and providing training to equip both men and women to act as first responders; and supporting victims of the scourge at the community level.
Additionally, this newspaper had stated before that one of the greatest challenges Guyana faces in countering domestic violence is 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 be changed. Everyone needs to be proactive in their response to the scourge.
It is unfortunate that in spite of all the efforts made in the past, the nation has not really got a handle on the problem. Guyana cannot afford to lose its women – most of them being at their most productive years – in such a callous manner. The authorities should never be satisfied and settle for a lacklustre approach to domestic violence. There has to be a more holistic approach, which must encompass a range of actors, with the necessary financial and human resources needed to tackle the issue.
Once the political dust is settled and a new Government is sworn in, we believe that there is an urgent need for all stakeholders to commence a national discourse on the issue. The aim should be to reassess and modify current strategies, taking into account the lessons learnt from past experiences. Let us all, including the media, pool our efforts and resources together to save our women.
