Guyanese women sometimes end up in cold, dark, shallow places, where earthworms whisper and maggots’ feast. There is often no box to cover them for burial services are not conducted by those who murder then place them two feet deep. Those shallow graves are haunted places even long after they have been discovered. They are memorials of screams silenced forever and scars that never healed. And the alleged or confirmed perpetrators of such brutal acts sometimes escape and efforts to find them cease.
It was just over a year ago when Shonette Dover was discovered in a shallow grave in Linden. At just 20 years old, her life was ended allegedly by her boyfriend. The suspect, Shaquawn Alleyne, has not been apprehended and there were reports that he left the country. The silence around the case is deafening as there seems to have been little or no action to apprehend him since the shock and outrage in the days and weeks immediately after her decomposed body was found.
In this society, those who are supposed enforce the law, maintain order, assure us that we are safe and protected and investigate criminal activities, often tell on themselves by their actions or inaction. Where the thirst for justice is supposed to exist and men and women are supposed to be incorruptible in serving and protecting, corruption seems to thrive. It seems easy to get away with murder.
A year after Shonette Dover was discovered, 52-year-old Waynumattie Permaul of Corentyne, Berbice, was also found in a shallow grave. Police say her ex-husband, Avemanen Permaul, has confessed to murdering her. They still lived in the same house even though one lived in the upper flat and one in the lower flat. However, even when women leave abusive relationships, they may still be at risk from men who are broken and refuse to seek healing; men who were conditioned in a toxic society to believe they have the right to control, beat and kill women.
The systems in place that encourage and inspire women to leave abusive relationships are essential. Without them, more women would be lost. Hotlines, shelters, social interventions, and enforcers of the law help to change some women’s stories into that of triumph and survival, but still too many women are trapped.
We can imagine that the spirits of many Guyanese women who were murdered by their partners are not at rest that perhaps they gather in some purgatory-like place where they comfort each other and try to send messages to women still trapped about the need to leave their abusive relationships before it is too late. As a society we need to gather around the women who are struggling. They stay for various reasons as sometimes leaving is not that easy for them. Even empowered and educated women are often trapped because of love. They are afraid to leave. They are afraid of being judged. They are afraid of the retaliation of their abusive partners. Or some stay to keep up appearances. The society must be the village for women to feel confident and supported enough to leave at the first sign or incident of violence.
The month of April was a month of sorrow for a few Guyanese women who did not get the chance to leave. Highlighted incidences of violence against women continued from March when a 25-year-old young woman filed a report that her father had abused her. In an interview with reporter Leroy Smith, the young woman expressed how her father had abused her for years. There was footage of the man kicking, slapping, and punching the young woman. It was like her life did not matter. And yet some, including some of the young woman’s relatives, tried to justify the actions of the businessman, Devanand Singh. The deranged in this society think that it is acceptable for women to be disciplined by being beaten by the men in their lives. Thankfully the young woman lived to tell her story and she has since obtained a permanent restraining order against her father.
But besides Waynumattie Permaul, there were reports about two other Guyanese women who lost their lives in April at the hands of men. On Tuesday, April 12, 57-year-old Savitri Raj of Foulis, East Coast Demerara, was murdered by her husband. They had been married for over 30 years. In many abusive relationships time does not result in the abuse subsiding. She had filed charges against him for abusing her. He was charged in early April and released on bail. The two continued living in the same house though sleeping separately. Like Shonette Dover’s alleged murderer, the fisherman Vijaimal Raj has not been apprehended.
On April 13, 19-year-old Shenese Walks was found with a knife stuck in her neck. She was the mother of one and a teacher. Her boyfriend, 21-year-old Joel Spooner was charged with her murder. It is a dreadful society when men as young as 21 be charged with murdering their partners.
Violence is an accepted norm in Guyana. It is seen as a form of conflict resolution even though it often does not result in peace. Violence is used for discipline, such as in beating children, and the more we continue such practices, the more our society is fractured, but we are not learning. We like to convince ourselves that there is no correlation between violence against children and the violence that culminates often in murders. But corporal punishment is also violence. And the many adults who continue the social dysfunction in which they were raised by saying they turned out okay because they were beaten often do not take the time to examine themselves. The fact that some of these adults continue the cycle by beating their children is evidence that they are not okay. And for the ones who choose to stop the cycle of familial violence by not hitting their children, but still struggle to control themselves, this also demonstrates the lasting effects of corporal punishment.
This is a society where many people survive by suppressing their trauma. Many choose not to be honest or not to speak about how broken they are. The silence often culminates in outbursts and unfortunately the results are sometimes fatal.
Waynumattie, Savitri and Shenese are new names that have been added to the long list of Guyanese women who have been killed. Every death that occurs we hope the list will end, but sadly we continue to see occurrences such as shallow graves in April.
