Dear Editor,
As we mark International Day for the Elimination of all Forms of Violence against Women and Help & Shelter’s 14th anniversary on November 25, 2009, the tragic reality is that Guyana is still a society in which violence is seen as an acceptable means of resolving conflict and enforcing control and discipline and that its use continues to escalate.
Domestic and other forms of violence against women and girls continue to result in a disproportionately heavy toll in lives lost, ruined and damaged.
A year has passed since the adoption of National Domestic Violence Policy, yet few, if any, of the recommended strategies that are necessary to combat domestic violence in all its forms have been implemented and there has been no explanation from the Ministry of Human Services as to the reasons for this delay or when we may expect full and effective implementation.
Help & Shelter has actively advocated for and participated in the process for the urgently needed reform and implementation of new sexual offences legislation. We are still waiting for “the done deal” (according to the Minister of Human Services) to materialize in the courts of Guyana. The failure of the National Assembly to expeditiously pass the vital new legislation reflects the ambivalence with which its members view the urgency of protecting all, but especially women and children, from sexual abuse and exploitation.
In November 2008, President Jagdeo announced the launch of a fund to support community gender-based violence initiatives. We call on the President to make public how these funds may be accessed and, if they have been utilized, by whom.
Help & Shelter acknowledges the support of the women and men who continue to work for real change in attitudes to the use of gender-based violence and practices of gender-based violence in the face of the many challenges.
We support the UN Secretary General’s call for public accountability in committing to eradicating gender-based violence and look forward in 2010 to the realization of the many promises made by the Government.
Yours faithfully,
Josephine Whitehead
for Help & Shelter