More than half of Guyana’s women (55%) have experienced at least one form of intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime, according to the first comprehensive national survey on gender-based violence in Guyana.
“Physical violence was reported more commonly than sexual violence (35 per cent vs 9 per cent lifetime; 14 per cent vs 4 per cent current), which may be in part due to a reluctance to disclose sexual violence outside of a trusting relationship. Emotional violence, typically the most common dimension of IPV, was reported by 40 per cent of respondents over their lifetimes and 17 per cent over the past 12 months,” the survey said.
The survey was released yesterday at a public forum convened at Cara Lodge and most of the speakers, inclusive of Minister of Social Protection Amna Ally and Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana Lilian Chatterjee agreed that the survey is not only timely but one that is needed to ensure the country’s response to violence against women can be more strategic.