The first National Conversa-tion on Domestic Violence, held at the Zeelugt Primary School on Wednesday, ended with calls for better access to counselling and more community interventions and initiatives to address economic empowerment.
Residents from along the West Coast participated in group discussions under the guidance of facilitators, a press release from the Ministry of Human Services said.
Prior to the discussions, Minister within the Ministry of Finance Juan Edghill had urged participants to suggest possible solutions to the problem; contributing factors to the escalation of violence, specifically domestic violence and what individuals, communities and the state and its partners can do differently to prevent domestic abuse. He charged the groups to re-examine the role of the family; how the family as an institution can be strengthened and how families could do more to socialise its members to be respectful, tolerant and better equipped to resolve conflicts and manage anger.
The session found some of the factors that contribute to violence are that men felt disrespected in their relationships, poverty, substance and drug abuse, the breakdown in the family structure and the perception that the police are a barrier to solving domestic disputes. In explaining the latter, some participants opined that when women make police reports about domestic disputes, men believe that the scales of justice are automatically tilted in their favour. Residents also said that they often hesitate to intervene in domestic disputes that result in violence because they are fearful and lack the expertise to make a difference.
At the close, the meeting called for better access to counselling in formal and non-formal settings, training for community leaders, economic empowerment, initiatives to address poverty and women’s financial dependence on men.
The community has also been working on other initiatives to address violence and the Regional Women’s Affairs Committee will host a road march on August 4 from the Best road to the West Demerara School. The march starts at 7am.
Other sessions have been scheduled for the Uitvlugt Secondary school on Wednesday at 4.30pm and on July 25 at the Lichfield Primary School from 3.30pm.
