News that domestic violence survivors are finding temporary refuge at the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s first White Zone in Berbice is welcome and the programme as outlined by its Coordinator Nalini Katryan provides a measure of hope. One feels that several such white zones dotted about the country and run by dedicated persons of the calibre of Ms Katryan could put a serious dent in what appears to be an unrelenting tide of abuse of women and girls in this country.
For this reason, the ministry’s reluctance to speak about the White Zone is puzzling. Mr Abass Mancey, who heads the Ministry of Human Services’ Domestic Violence Policy Unit, when contacted, said the ministry was not in a position “at this time” to speak on the country’s first white zone or to say when others would be put in place. Disappointingly, Mr Mancey also could not say when such details would be forthcoming.
Mr Mancey’s tight-lipped stance seemed not to bode well for the programme. However it was refreshingly positive to learn from the upbeat Ms Katryan that although there was still a lot that needs to be done, women were finding some modicum of comfort in the white zone.
Ms Katryan was pleased to report that because of the visible support the White Zone provides, more women were speaking up and out against domestic violence. Abused women have been visiting the zone, she revealed and accessing counselling and advice – services provided in the city by Help and Shelter. And while, unlike Help and Shelter, the White Zone really does not offer abused women shelter, it provides temporary refuge from the situations they face at home. Ms Katryan also revealed that women have been going to the zone for ‘alone time’ and reading, talking or just being with themselves, which seems to be a way of recharging their batteries to deal with any stress or adversity at home.
Interestingly too, Ms Katryan reported that women have revealed that in some instances their menfolk back down when they invoke the name of the White Zone. Obviously this is not always going to work, nor will it work in every case, but even if it only serves to protect one woman from being abused then it is a positive sign and the ministry must be applauded for the initiative and supported in setting up various other such zones when the time comes.
This is not to say that the Berbice White Zone is the be-all and end-all of such initiatives. In fact, as stakeholders have pointed out, it is far from perfect. Among its limitations is a lack of full-time, trained staff, which is not totally unexpected. This is an issue which plagues every social services entity in the country—officers are struggling with huge case loads and inevitably some needs are not met.
Obviously, once a figure is budgeted for social services spending at the beginning of the year, the ministry’s hands are tied—it can only afford so many staff; it can only undertake so many projects. A way around this would be to appeal to volunteer agencies, such as the US Peace Corps and Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), for assistance. The Peace Corps and VSO would surely be able to tap into personnel with counselling/welfare/social services backgrounds who might be able to fill the current yawning gaps. Of course it might take them a little time to get up to speed with culture and dialects in the areas where they will be placed, but the fact that there are already such volunteers teaching children in some of the remote areas of this country shows that it can be done.
While it was not clear to our reporter exactly what the mandate of the White Zone is, it was immediately obviously that some amount of expansion of what it is currently doing is more than necessary. Shelters and halfway homes are needed in every region in this country and if expanded white zones can fill this gap. Additionally, white zones should also cater for children, particularly girls, who are at risk of incest and other sexual and physical abuse in their homes. Men too, who face physical and other forms of abuse at home could be catered for in an expanded white zone. Perhaps these services have already been pencilled in on the ministry’s plan for the white zone and will be divulged at the appropriate time. Minister of Human Services and Social Security Priya Manickchand and her staff take a lot of flak when there appear to be breakdowns in their systems. They must be ready to also take a bow when systems work.
