Human Services and Social Security Minister Priya Manickchand believes that domestic violence often gets tangled up in family matters, as the lines get blurred between what constitutes a crime and what is acceptable in a man and woman relationship.
“If there is any reason to question what is happening in the home and you feel trapped, vulnerable and weak, chances are you are a victim of some form of violence that is not acceptable, period. No excuses should be made about it and certainly, you cannot say it is a family matter and allow it to slide”, Manickchand said.
She was speaking to a small gathering of mostly women at the Indian Cultural Centre on Monday during a dialogue session on domestic violence that was organized by the Women’s Club of the Indian Cultural Centre in collaboration with the centre in observance of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The Minister was particularly firm on hammering home the issue of women who remain silent in relationships because “they and others looking in believe it is a family issue, domestic in every sense of the word”. But she advised that this could be detrimental, as women will continue to remain trapped in such relationships regardless of how much they are suffering.
Terms such as ‘private matters’ and ‘family issues’, and the belief that whatever happens between a man and woman in a relationship should stay between them, have long been a challenge in the fight to end domestic violence, Manickchand stated. She said that organizations such as Red Thread and Help and Shelter among others have been battling to change such beliefs.
In responding to a question, Manickchand admitted that the system has been so taxed in dealing with women who are abused, that due diligence has not been done in relation to their abusers. She said there are avenues where counselling is offered, but noted that more work can be done with abusive men.
“We are using the resources to focus on the women who are suffering, and many of them are suffering greatly, which means that we cannot pay as much attention as required to those men who are in need. I honestly wish we could”, the minister said.
Karen DeSouza of Red Thread was also part of the discussions, and she focused on how Guyanese are rearing their children, more importantly what they are teaching them. She opined that the disease of domestic violence must be tackled by addressing its prevention, noting that young men and women must be taught how to interact with each other and what a relationship is about. According to DeSouza, public education is a critical part of the process.
“By simply looking at the newspaper reports for the year we know that too many women have been killed in violent situations in this country, and that too many are victims of abuse…there are a number of angles we can tackle this issue from and we must”, she added.
The issue of what some women wear and whether that contributes to sexual assaults also came up and Minister Manickchand addressed it from the perspective that Guyana is a free society without any laws regarding how people should dress. She noted that a woman’s choice of dress, however stimulating should in no way be construed as an invitation to men with desires. But, she advised that the society has its share of deviants and that women should at least keep this at the back of their minds.
Some participants differed with the view about the freedom to wear whatever, stating that women should not venture out scantily dressed and not expect something unfortunate to happen, and or even a desire by a man to attack them sexually.
One man said that issues such as rape come back to sex, implying that how some women dress is the reason why men attack them.
But DeSouza asked what can then possibly be the reason for men sexually assaulting babies and toddlers if clothes are tied to the attacks. She stated that rape is about power and control, urging the gathering to be careful with how it views the issue of rape.