Dear Editor,
It seems as if the more we research the phenomenon of domestic violence and debate about it, and train people to respond to domestic violence, the more incidents are occurring unabated. Mind you, domestic violence does not only refer to violence or abuse committed against women, but also against each other generally in society.
Domestic or family violence in Guyana has also increased both in severity and prevalence in recent years. Although men (as victims) are reportedly suffering too, women make up the greater number which causes alarm bells to sound. You see, when women suffer in this way it is not only they who are affected, but also their children and everyone else related to them, yes – even the abuser. Domestic violence affects everyone and therefore responses need to include everyone. No one can deny the unprecedented brutal attacks on women in our society and the adverse effects on family, home, community, etc. With this increase in incidence in the country, much of the attention has been given to the abused and abuser (in terms of justice), with scant regard for the community or immediate atmosphere in which the violence takes place. In many instances it is within an enabling cultural context.
Why was someone like Neesa Gopaul allowed to go back into the same allegedly abusive atmosphere known to her as home? Does not the law provide for the removal of a victim from an abusive atmosphere? Even with the social services intervention, what went wrong? It is time for Guyana as a nation to seriously address this problem and devise ways and means of working together to change the situation. Domestic violence/abuse does not have a human face and knows no party affiliations. In other words, every one of us has experienced violence, has been violent, or is likely to become violent at some point in our lives because of the culture of violence in which we live. We should look comprehensively at what is happening and at the same time stop looking outside of ourselves, and instead look well within ourselves to ensure that we do not accommodate or communicate violence in any way.
Looking comprehensively at the domestic violence phenomenon also involves looking at the general violence which is committed in our society and developing an understanding that everyone has the propensity to become violent. It ranges from extra-judicial killings, murders, verbal and physical abuse, to rape, sexual assault, early and forced marriages, incest, female infanticide and abortions – even suicides. Moreover, whether the violence is occurring at the level of the state, or is political, institutional, gang or interpersonal, Guyana is seen as a very violent society. Violence has become so engrained that the year 2008 was labelled as one of “blood, brutal and, murderous for women in Guyana” (SN report). Furthermore, Programme Specialist at the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Tonni Brodber, reported that the Caribbean has “extremely high levels of violence especially for a region that is not at war.” Accordingly violence is not only committed in the domestic arena by related individuals, but also in public spaces by leaders in society, security officers, rival gangs, subordinates, employers, employees, neighbours, and the list goes on.
There is no excuse for one person using violence to resolve an issue, or to establish control, no one should accept this. There is no culture on earth in which violence should be tolerated. Is it that we have nurtured a culture of violence that has a boomerang effect? The high incidence of domestic violence in our country also continues to thrive in an aura of secrecy. Many of the cases go unreported, thus uncounted. This brings into sharp focus the complexity of the larger issues related to the ideologies of violence and the positions of men and women within their wider societal contexts. The cultural ideas held and practised by society with regard to family violence are shaped by an unwritten code of non-interference, silence and secrecy. Hence a passive acceptance of the use of force or violence in resolving family conflicts seems to be embedded in the Guyanese psyche.
There is no doubt that violence begets violence and violence grows where violence thrives. If violence is used to resolve family conflicts then violence will be learnt and practised. In addition violence that is hidden and unreported will eventually grow. Therefore collectively we have got to develop an attitude of non-acceptance of violence on every front, not only in the domestic arena. We also need to fight violence in other areas such as places of employment, schools, recreational facilities/sports arena, places of worship, places of entertainment/night spots/clubs, etc. In so doing we will be able to create meaningful and lasting changes in building a productive atmosphere where everyone will be free from violence.
Yours faithfully,
A Benn
Lecturer/Programme Officer
Women’s Studies Unit
University of Guyana Turkeyen Campus
