From a meeting at the Office of the President on Tuesday, it has emerged that local religious leaders have “agreed to be more active in helping to curb domestic violence” and have indicated “their willingness to be part of a standard training programme specifically designed to sensitize and equip them to deal with the issue.” Their agreement, however, did not extend to them signing a communiqué, which one supposes would have bound them and their followers to the statements above. In fact, our reporter was told, the religious leaders opted to go back to their constituencies, possibly for further consultation and direction, and return for a second meeting next week. It was also mentioned that the religious leaders saw the need to work with the police, since their response (or lack of it) was identified as one of the hurdles to be overcome in treating with domestic violence.
Since all of the major religions proclaim peace and preach love, abhorring war, violence and hate, it should be automatic then, one would suppose, that their stance as regards domestic violence would be one of implacable zero tolerance. And if this were the case, then there would have been no meeting on Tuesday and no need for a standard training programme. However, the fact is that domestic abuse and religion are both very difficult topics, which are further complicated by misinterpretations and perceptions of religious teachings and the merging of these teachings with cultural traditions.
Although there has been some movement away from this in recent times, it is a fact that religious traditions in general have conformed to the dogma that women should be subordinate to men; some even see women as inferior. In addition, when domestic violence takes place within marital relationships, there have been instances when the preservation of the marriage was seen as paramount rather than the well-being of the parties concerned. This has taken place across religions and all around the world and contributes to the perpetuation of this very serious social ill.
There is, therefore, definitely a place for religious intervention in curbing the scourge of domestic violence. A standard training programme would ensure that there is a standard response – regardless of the religious grouping/denomination. One would hope then that religious leaders receive the unanimous mandate of their followers to sign on to the communiqué and that a collective step forward in mitigating what has become a crisis can be taken.
Next month, in Barbados, the UN Secretary General’s UNiTE to End Violence Against Women Campaign will be launched in the face of the increasing violence across the Caribbean, which sees women experiencing higher rates of domestic and sexual violence. According to research done by the World Bank, “One in four women in Guyana has been physically abused in a relationship. Approximately 30% of women surveyed in Trinidad & Tobago experienced domestic violence; 67% of women in Suriname have experienced violence in a cohabiting relationship and 30% of adult women in Antigua & Barbuda and Barbados have experienced some form of domestic abuse.” The research also revealed that the overall murder rate in the Caribbean was four times higher than in North America.
That this situation continues, despite the work of governments and non-governmental organizations, indicates that there is need for what Caricom Advocate for Gender Justice Dr Rosina Wiltshire calls a “dramatic shift in awareness” and a healing process in society. Noting that there is a link between domestic and societal violence, she advocates attending to the twig at an early stage, rather than having to resort to cutting down the whole tree later on.
And if each section of society takes a role and commits to addressing domestic violence – instead of the piecemeal approaches of the past – then a downturn in the incidence of it is entirely possible.
