A group of women has taken on a watchdog role, with the help of Red Thread, in a move to protect abused women in two Region Eight communities.
The number of incidents of domestic abuse at Campbell Town and Mahdia, which are small communities, have been enough to raise concern and push the women into action a few months ago. Prior to them forming separate groups to tackle the problem, Red Thread held several sessions with core groups in both communities earlier this year to spread awareness and bring about a change in attitudes.
Marbel Thomas and Innez Francis of Campbell Town told Stabroek News recently that the sessions with Red Thread were “more than listen and go back home then wait for another session”; they were wake-up calls which pushed them to act. They cited the fact that domestic spats were no longer hushed up in the area, as being among the successes of their campaign to get women to open up about abuse and report matters to the police. In a way, they have become the authorities.
Francis explained that the team, which includes a third woman, has gained positive recognition in the area and its work is routinely highlighted in village meetings. She said the village captain would point them out to villagers and make the community aware that they are watching on. “I heard a woman telling her husband one day that if he hits her we would lock him up and I promptly told her that she was right,” Francis recalled.
The issue of reporting domestic matters to the police had been taboo in Campbell Town, Thomas said. She said people preferred to keep things quiet because that was what they learned growing up, but through the awareness sessions with Red Thread they now know differently. She said Red Thread has helped women in the community to understand that such matters must be reported to the police.
“People respect us, but that was not always the case. There was hostility at first, but now women are not afraid to say when they are abused and by coming to us they are giving us the courage to help other women who need help,” Thomas added. She has been working with Red Thread for five years while her colleagues have been attached to the women’s group for a shorter period of time.
As to the question of how serious domestic violence is Campbell Town, both women agreed that it is widespread. They said there is a lot of hitting and the occasional serious incident where someone has to be hospitalized and treated. It was just over a year ago that a man in the area beat his wife so badly in the face that she temporarily lost sight in both eyes. The matter was reported and he was fined after admitting his guilt.
Two-way
conversations
Thomas said the group has worked out a strategy to deal with the domestic violence, which is, that they sit down with both parties, and the men have been cooperative so far. She said the men in the area constantly blame alcohol as the source of their problems, an explanation which the women have confirmed. “When they drink that is when they lash out,” Thomas added.
Domestic abuse is not as frequent as before, Thomas said, noting that women would speak out during their regular visits to say whether there is a problem or not. She said that some hitting still takes place, and they are working to change that, but recalled that within a few months of the group setting up it was flooded with complaints.
Earlier this year, the Campbell Town team organized a march against domestic violence on March 8 and they had included women from the nearby village of Princeville and their colleagues from Mahdia.
Thomas summed up how the group approaches the issue of domestic abuse saying, “I couldn’t really say anything at first, but I am changed now. If someone is getting beat up, I know its wrong and instead of just looking on I can intervene. People use to say it’s not your story don’t butt in, but now we know we have a right to say something for the woman in the situation because she is one of us.”
Domestic violence
and child abuse
Linda Woolford of Central Mahdia said her group, which is somewhat larger, has been tackling both domestic violence and child abuse. She noted that one of the more remarkable things to happen since their work commenced was that abused women were joining the group to help others. The problem is serious in Mahdia, according to Woolford, and she noted that unfortunately some women are still struggling to break free.
“What women struggle with is that they believe there is nothing to go to after these relationships. They also think about money and where they will live.
There have been a few successes because those women are able to walk away and start their own little businesses, one started selling bread,” Woolford said. She said the women who are now independent were forced to run because the beatings were too many. In the year since they have started the work in Mahdia seven women have started their own businesses while two have left their abusive partners, and Woolford counts these as small victories.
There are still incidents where the police have to be called in regularly, she said, due to constant fights. Woolford said there are two police officers in the area who work closely with the group and would follow-up cases.
She said the group has encountered a few vulnerable children in the area, some selling on the road during school hours and others who have suffered some form of sexual abuse.
In one case, she recalled that a parent was hesitant to pursue a sexual abuse case involving her young daughter and was only forced to act when a member of the group reported the incident to the police.
According to her, there is a particular entertainment spot in the area that employs young girls under age 14 to work at night. She said the group decided to make a report and some of the girls have been removed.
“A lot of women in the area never really said anything about being abuse, but that has changed. There are so many open discussions and the women are standing up to their partners and saying that it is not right and that they wouldn’t accept it,” she related. She said the women have largely complained about the men hitting them when meals are not prepared on time, and also when the men are intoxicated.
Abiola Woolford, another member of the group, said the training from Red Thread has allowed her to stand up for friends in the area who have been abused.
She said domestic violence is “too widespread” and that they have been working hard to change that.
