About a month before she was brutally slashed to death by her former partner, Omwattie Kallicharran and her relatives had made the last of a long list of reports to the police about his threats.
He was later arrested but begged police and with the family’s consent they decided to give him a chance.
“But me nah been know this woulda been de outcome, he beg and we say give he a chance even de police beg fuh he,” Ramnaresh Ramdhan, the brother of the dead woman told Stabroek News recently.
There was a similar sequence of events with another West Demerara woman who was knifed to death on Friday at Cornelia Ida allegedly by her reputed husband.
Kallicharran was killed last Tuesday at Canal Number Two by her former reputed husband Vishnudat Tajram, from whom she had been separated for almost two years. Afterwards, he turned the knife on himself and ingested a poisonous substance and died the following morning at the Georgetown Public Hos-pital Corporation (GPHC).
The woman’s brother and her mother said they went with her to make several reports at both the Den Amstel and Vreed-en-Hoop police stations, following threats by the man. The man had also threatened repeatedly to take the life of the couple’s four-year-old son and reports about this were also made.
According to Ramdhan, the last report was made after Tajram drove up in front of their La Jalousie, West Bank Demerara home with others in the car and threatened them. He said they made reports to both stations and visits were made to the man’s home by police officers and he later turned himself in at the Den Amstel police station. “He beg and even de police beg fuh he and we say fuh de child sake give he a chance and now look wah happen,” the man said.
A senior police officer in ‘D’ Division could not confirm how many reports the family had made to police but stated that one of the officers investigating the murder-suicide confirmed the recent report about the family not pursuing action against the man.
Police sources noted that this is a major difficulty the police are constantly faced with when it comes to domestic violence cases, although they are most times blamed for not taking the necessary action.
Last Friday’s stabbing to death of Krishandai Singh allegedly by her reputed husband Ganesh Narine at their Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara home was another example of the difficulties faced by the police.
The police in a release stated that on May 26 Singh had made a report to the police of an assault committed on her by Narine. He was arrested and charged on May 27. He appeared before Magistrate Fazil Azeez at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate Court but Singh then indicated that she wanted no further action. The magistrate then placed Narine on a bond to keep the peace for two years.
Less than a month later he is now in custody over the murder.
‘Best interest of the woman ignored’
Despite the difficulties the police face, Karen De Souza of Red Thread in an invited comment told Stabroek News that the Domestic Violence Act is clear and that is for the police to always act in the best interest of the woman and to protect them. “The law is very clear, it gives the police wide power to apprehend and to always look at the safety of the woman,” De Souza said, while noting that she did not know the specifics of Kallicharran’s case.
Generally, De Souza added, the police do not use the law to the advantage of the victim. However, she pointed out that while there are situations where the police can use their discretion this should not be done in Georgetown and its environs. She said discretion could be used in the interior locations where there are not regular court sittings.
Meanwhile, De Souza is of the opinion that while there has been training for police officers they are not using it effectively. She also questioned whether there is a police officer who would have undergone training on domestic violence at every police station. “Something else needs to be done when it comes to police addressing domestic violence, something needs to change maybe in the structure of the force … there needs to be at least one police officer with domestic violence training at each station,” she said.
Recently Assistant Police Commissioner Clinton Conway had said domestic violence remained a front burner issue at all divisions and that the force was working to put more measures in place to deal with it.
‘Police training’
Conway, who is also the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) training officer at the Felix Austin Police College, had said several officers had been trained locally and overseas to deal with domestic violence. According to him since the start of the year 498 ranks including 145 recruits had been trained to handle such cases and station officers who would be the first responders, were also being trained.
The Government Information Agency (GINA), which had quoted Conway, had also said private rooms are also being built at stations to encourage victims to report this type of crime.
At the same time, Conway had pointed out that the force was faced with the problem in convincing victims to follow through with reports. He had pointed out that many of them refused to provide the evidence needed to take the alleged to perpetrator to court. Conway had said too if victims refuse to pursue the matter there is not much the police can do. “It might start with a small assault and later on will increase; it may end up in murder or other serious offences. We feel that if we deal with the minor matters there won’t be opportunity for the major ones [to occur],” he had said.
Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand in an interview earlier this year had said that domestic violence will continue to be a major issue in Guyana which was not likely to go away if women fail to report threats or “the slightest attack against them” because of how dire the consequences could be. The entire issue of violence against women will remain a tremendous challenge if women do not adopt a pro-active approach, Manickchand said, underscoring the need for greater awareness and to some extent, personal responsibility.
Last year, head of the ministry’s Domestic Violence Unit Geetanjali Geer told this newspaper that the policy can only work if the police force plays an active role. She had said the unit recognises the role of the force in tackling domestic violence, but noted that the police have to do more.
In November last year, President Bharrat Jagdeo approved $15 million for the campaign to eliminate domestic violence. This disclosure was made during a consultation on the issue, hosted at Office of the President. Roughly 25 organisations across several segments of society, including religions, trade unions, the private sector, the Guyana Bar Association and the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers attended the session, which aimed to develop a strategic approach to address domestic violence.
‘Growing list’
Singh and Kallicharran are the latest in a growing list of women murdered in domestic violence incidents.
Last month, Eunice Charlie, 55, of Waramit Farming Area, Awaruwaunau Village, South Rupununi and 31-year-old Gertude Edwards of Ithaca were both murdered, allegedly by their respective partners. On March 31, Pamela Mangru, 39, was stabbed three times in the throat and slashed about her body. She subsequently bled to death. Her alleged attacker and reputed husband Devon Limerick has since been charged with her murder. On March 12, Savitrie Arjune of Lot 382 Herstelling, East Bank Demerara, was stabbed to death by her former reputed husband. He escaped and is still to be apprehended. In February, Deborah Allen, 38, of Port Kaituma, North West District, was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital after being chopped by her reputed husband. Her teenaged daughter was chopped across the face and spent several days in the Georgetown Hospital.
That same day, two women, Nekecia Rouse, 25, and her sister-in-law, Alexis George, 18, were slashed to death in New Amsterdam. Their attacker is still being sought.
