Dear Editor,
The SN Editorial on Diwali Day 2024 highlighted the critical need to transform the attitudes and culture which accept intimate-partner violence and other forms of gender-based violence as normal. The editorial was grounded on a study from the Lancet which used data from the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019 to report on attitudes of women to violence. The editorial called for a similar study on the attitudes of men. The same UNICEF study, SN had reported on 27 August, 2023 (https://www.stabroeknews.com/2023/08/27/news/guyana/unicef-sponsored-survey-found-many-justify-males-abusing-partners/ ), found that males also justified abuse of women and girls, with 25% of the 15-17 year old males thinking it is okay to abuse women and girls for some of the reasons.
The previous Domestic Violence Act 1996 and the Family Violence Act 2024 recognise that data is needed to help with prevention. It is unfortunate that there are still no real systems in place to collect and share the data from the health, police and social sectors which could guide citizens who want to transform the attitudes and culture of accepting violence. Advocates against domestic violence and other forms of gender-based violence have recognised that all forms of violence are connected. Diwali happened in the week when a child killed another child. The editorial referred to the beating of children in Guyana.
While the Ministry of Education and some in the education sector were enjoying the cultural aspects of Diwali, there were reports of other abuses of children in the school system which the Ministry will no doubt investigate pointlessly. Surely if the Government was committed to the triumph of good over evil, then they would ban the beating of children in Guyana and put in place programmes to call for healing of all people who think it is necessary to use violence to discipline children? And while it might seem to some that the triumph of good over evil means bombing out unseen demons and beating them out of those we consider evil, maybe by next Diwali, there will be a deeper examination of spiritual aspects of Diwali to create a culture of non-violence?
Sincerely,
Vidyaratha Kissoon
