Dear Editor,
The Region 10 National Congress of Women (NCW) mourns the senseless loss of an innocent child and condemns the sexual assault on a sister. The knifing of 4-year-old Jamal Nedd of Buck Hill, Wismar, who entered the home at a time when a woman was being sexually assaulted is enough to make every heart weep. What happened in Region 10 is symptomatic of the epidemic of abuse facing women in this country and if it is not arrested now it will lead to open mayhem as the vulnerable will be left with limited choices − stand up and fight back, regardless of the consequences, or continue to accept the abuse. Neither option bodes well for the well-being of women, their children and the society. It also adversely impacts on men who are being socialised to think that masculinity, love, a ‘real’ man, power and control are manifested through violence and abuse. This sort of unresolved dysfunctionality hurts human relations and reduces us to a status less than that of wild animals.
Violence against women can affect anyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status or their racial and cultural background, just as the perpetrators can be from any socioeconomic status, or racial and cultural background. As a people we are all involved and will all be consumed if something is not done to arrest this epidemic. The social decay has to be arrested by all with the necessary support from government, political organisations and civil society, including the religious community. The continued objectification of women and the use of our children as pawns to feed the egos of unhealthy minds must end. Ending this requires education (formal and informal), adequate social services (counselling and requisite support network), effective laws, better support systems for families and communities, and an unrelenting judiciary. The country must act now!
As women in the community mourn and come to grips with these heinous acts and loss of life, the questions on the lips of many are: “How many more must carry this load and when will the senselessness end?”
The NCW is not oblivious to the many acts of aggression perpetrated on women by men of power, who having gotten away with their aggression, have by these very acts emboldened others to think that they too can do the same and get away with it. The murder of a child and the abuse of a woman are testimonies of the society’s failures − the failure to offer the vulnerable the needed respect and security. And as the community of Linden seeks to deal with this tragic loss, NCW urges the police to carry out their duties with due diligence and ensure justice is served for all victims whose attacks and senseless deaths must not only wake up all, but must also serve as a clarion call for right-thinking persons to address these dysfunctional behaviours, be they by men in the corridors of power, or the rank and file.
Yours faithfully,
Vanessa Kissoon
Region Ten
National Congress of Women