(Trinidad Guardian) There have been over 552 reported cases of sexual offences for the year with women making up the majority of the cases. Of these reported cases, 92 have been rape.
Speaking at a public education and information fair at City Gate, Port-of-Spain, which commemorated the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister Ayanna Webster-Roy revealed the figures citing official police statistics.
But the issue of gender-based violence against women is not isolated to T&T only as she also cited World Health Organisation statistics which show that one in three women around the world will experience some form of gender-based violence in her lifetime.
“Ladies and gentlemen, violence against women and girls, is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today. Regrettably, it remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it,” she said.
To solve this, she added, a culture of justice and a multi-pronged system for victims of rape and violence must be developed.
She also noted that a National Policy on Gender and Development was created to fight gender disparities in the country. According to Webster-Roy, it has a thematic focus on human security and gender-based violence.
“While the policy has been laid in the Parliament as a Green Paper it is the foundation on which our work in the Gender Affairs stands,” she said.
She believes that “empowering our men to become allies in the campaign to combat violence against women and girls is critical for promoting the transformation and shift in socio-cultural perception or women and girls.”
Webster-Roy stressed: “We must respect and promote the fact that no means no.”
