Elimination of Violence against women critical to national development

Dec 13, 2008 News

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…Govt. action alone is not enough to deal with the social ill — Manickchand

 

By Gary Eleazar

Last evening, after hours of debating, the National Assembly unanimously approved a motion which seeks to have Parliamentarians commit to using their influence within

their respective political parties and constituencies to assist victims of violence against women (VAW) to seek help, and to use the laws and support systems available to victims in order to protect the victims and prevent further abuse and murders.

The motion, tabled by the Minister of Human Services and Social Security, also secured MP’s commitments to consciously develop programmes for and with men, and more particularly young males, to have greater respect for themselves and women as equals, and to learn to address conflict situations in a non-violent manner.

Manickchand, in her presentation of the motion to the House, called on the male Parliamentarians particularly to set up a body that would actively and vocally seek to eliminate acts of violence against women.

According to Manickchand, the elimination of VAW is critical to the development of the country as a whole, and, “We cannot fail to realize that the equality of women was important to the development of the world.”

Manickchand said that violence against women and children has been perpetuated for centuries, and in recent time, more and more headlines have been splashed across the pages of the dailies.

This she attributed to not just the increase of VAW, but also to the years of hard work to promote awareness among groups such as Red Thread and Help and Shelter, among others.

The minister presented an early Christmas gift to the Members of Parliament in the form of a collection of educational materials, such as the National Policy on Domestic Violence, a Household Guide to the Domestic Violence Act, and ‘Woman Powah,’ among others.

The minister explained that violence takes many forms. It could be verbal, physical, emotional, withholding of finances, and destruction of property, among others.

She noted that, apart from the initial act of violence, there were the repercussions, such as depression, suicide, and substance abuse, among others.

She told the House that the nature of what the motion sought was in light of the fact that Government action alone was not enough to deal with the social ill, urging that much more needs to be done while thanking the organisations which are already actively involved in seeking to eradicate VAW through counselling and assistance.

She also emphatically called on her fellow MPs to not just make Thursday’s proceedings in the National Assembly a headline in the newspaper.

Manickchand urged that a conscious decision be made, saying that, “Every time a policeman laughs, mocks or refuses to deal with the situation; every time a social worker turns the back on victims, saying that he/she is too busy, come back later, we denigrate ourselves as a human race and dig ourselves deeper into the hole of savagery.”

Shadow Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Volda Lawrence, told the House that her party supported the motion by Manickchand. The PNCR has been condemning all forms of violence — be it against women and children, boys and men, or birds and beasts. “Violence must be condemned by all.”

Lawrence told the House that the MPs should not only focus on VAW, noting that: “Our energies should be channelled in the direction of addressing other burning issues also.”

“What has been done to those men who continue to violate our minors? What about the brutality that is exhibited by some members of the Joint Forces right in the very presence of our children? What messages are we sending to them?

“What about the clogged court system which takes years to deal with women brutalised, and gives the perpetrators over and over the opportunity to continually commit this act? What about those who feel that they are above the Law and could commit acts of violence on our women and children without ever being brought to justice?

“What about the deficiency in our education system which, instead of challenging and harnessing the potential of our youths, condemn our young boys to become dropouts, delinquents and perpetrators of violence? What about the significant role that the Church once exercised, moulding and upholding the morals in our society?”

Lawrence argued that it was sad to report that the State was using the Church as yet another football, a political tool for its own gains, thus eroding the important role the Church can play in this, our violent society.

She queried whatever happened to creation of jobs for both men and women, so that women could be more independent and not be at the mercy of these providers who are also perpetrators of violence; and she said that men, too, can regain some status and be seen as real committed heads of households.

“I would have preferred if instead we could have been here debating family laws as a whole and not in a piecemeal fashion, thus seeking to find real solutions to the many issues facing the family.”

Lawrence said that to condemn VAW was one thing, but to take action would require resources. “Is the Government willing to provide the necessary resources?”

To this query Manickchand pointed to the $15M that the President made available and which is still not been accessed. “It was offered for the exact same reason.”

She added also that the Legal Aid service was being provided at a cost of $32M and the majority of persons accessing the service were women who were victims of violent acts.

Arguably one of the best presentations of the day was that of the Guyana Action Party representative Everall Franklin.

According to Franklin, Manickchand’s motion was worthy of support, but that support must also come in the form of resources to achieve the desired result. He pointed out that organisations that are already engaged in the struggle need tangible assistance.

He noted that there was a lot of mention to the relevant legislation in place to eliminate the scourge, but the scourge could not be legislated away. “Eliminating VAW requires a fundamental shift in morals….it requires a behavioural change.”

Franklin noted that the issue of the scarcity of male role models in society must also be addressed.

He also called on the various churches, temples and mosques to do more with respect to troubled men and women, who may be prone to perpetrating violent acts.

The MP also highlighted the need to address the issue of drugs, alcohol and substance abuse, pointing out to the House that it was becoming a worrying trend that now young women are imbibing (alcohol), making them vulnerable to acts of violence.

He said that the behavioural change of which he spoke must begin in the home, in that it is too often that violence is used to coerce children into doing something that they were not supposed to do.

This, he noted, is then embedded into the children, and when they become adults, that same approach is used to coerce a spouse to not do something or the other.

He noted, too, that the behavioural change must also be at the level of the state, in that the same principle applied to the exercise of corporal punishment, which is sanctioned by the state.

“We cannot expect to use brutality and expect citizens to behave gently.”

He also chastised the lack of response at the community level, questioning what has happened to the brothers, fathers, uncles and neighbours of persons that are abused.

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