A West Coast Berbice woman says she has finally broken free after years of abuse by her husband and is now requesting assistance from the authorities to move on with her life as she left her home with just a few pieces of clothing.
Kamanie Narine, 55, of Lovely Lass Village, West Coast Berbice, yesterday in an interview with Stabroek News said that the last straw for her was on February 23 when she said that her husband threw gasoline on her and beat her mercilessly. She explained, that on the day in question she was not feeling well since she suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes and was deciding to go and spend some time at her brother’s house when the man attacked her.
“He throw the gasoline on me and beat me and threaten to burn down the house and me and I run over at a neighbour and then the neighbour son tell him if he know what he playing with.”
She said, after that attack, she left the man and was en route to her relative’s house when she collapsed after exiting a hired vehicle after which she was rushed to the hospital where she was eventually contacted by a welfare officer who sent her to the Fort Wellington Police Station to file a police report.
After filing the report, Narine proceeded to her brother’s house where she has been residing since. She described her encounter with ranks at the Fort Wellington Police Station as distasteful saying “they yelled at me and wouldn’t listen to me… me cry too much at that station… Too many times I cry at the station.”
According to Narine, she was eventually given a court date but at the first calling of the matter, her husband was a no show. Additionally, she said, on the second court date after he did not appear she was told he would be arrested.
But it was only last Monday that the man was reportedly arrested. According to information gathered by Narine, the man appeared at the court on Tuesday last where he was reportedly placed on $15,000 bail.
“I don’t know what he was charged with because when I contacted the police first them said they tried calling me and I didn’t answer then they said how they don’t have a number for me so he went court on Tuesday and get bail”, she said.
A distraught Narine, who broke into tears multiple times yesterday, said that she could not believe this was the way she was being treated although she was the “victim” in the situation. “That man deh road and I got to deh at my family house hiding out.”
The woman detailed another incident where she visited the police station while her husband was supposedly in “hiding” and requested that officers accompany her to the house to retrieve some of her clothing. But instead, she was told “that is the man house you can’t go in the man house…”
Narine said, she was baffled and repeatedly informed them that while the house lot was in both her and her husband’s name the house belonged to her. “He would drink for the whole month and don’t work and then beat me when me na get money to buy grocery so my family help me with money to build that house and I have the receipts for all the materials in my name.”
According to the woman, it was only after several visits to the station that she was eventually accompanied to the house to retrieve her belongings.
Presently, Narine is pleading with the authorities to have the matter transferred to the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court stressing that she does not feel safe traveling to the Berbice court nor can she afford to do so regularly at the moment.
“When to go the first time I had to ask my brother for money. How much times I go beg he? And I am scared, I am very scared, I really want if the matter can come to Georgetown.”
Narine who shares six adult children with her husband also expressed her disbelief at the fact that her children and relatives of her husband have turned against her. “They say they love me but they didn’t even call to wish me happy mother’s day”, the woman said as she began crying.
She continued, “They put a set of things on Facebook that he innocent but anyone can go in the neighbourhood and ask… My neighbours know what I going through all the years, they see it.”
Narine yesterday insisted, that while it is physically, emotionally and financially hard to re-start life at the age of 55 years she will try her best since she lives in fear of him. She stressed, “I don’t want him, I know if I go court next court date (June 1) all a them (children and relatives) will come down on me but I don’t want him. He do too much stuff. I don’t want him.”
Furthermore, according to the woman, due to the years of abuse, she is experiencing some major headaches but cannot afford to have the necessary scans done.
