Violence against women – Guyana has an extremely poor record

Dec 21, 2008 AFC Column, Features / Columnists

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A presentation to Parliament by AFC Member of Parliament, Mrs. Latchmin Punalall

INTRODUCTION:
• The motion before the national and highest legislative body of our dear land recently was “Violence Against Women In Observance of Nov 25th International Day For The Elimination Of Violence Against Women”.

• It was brought for deliberation by the Honourable Minister of Human Services & Social Security, Ms. Priya Manickchand.

I congratulate her for her bold effort. The AFC stands opposed to all forms of violence against any category of our citizens, whether it is man or woman, boy or girl, old or young. In its recently issued statement on the occasion of the International Day For The Elimination of Violence Against Women, the AFC bemoaned the fact that here in Guyana we have to accept that despite tremendous strides made, women are still vulnerable to abuse, sexual assault, discrimination and other forms of abuse which keep them relegated, for the most part, as second class citizens. Much more has to be done.

LOOKING BACK:
• In the motion presented, reference is made to the United Nations Convention Against The Elimination Of All Forms Of Discrimination Against Women. This is a very historic document which Guyana signed and ratified on July 17, 1980.

• This document was adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly and came into force on Sept 3, 1981.

• It is described as an international bill of rights for women.

• This convention defines discrimination against women as “any distinction, exclusion, or restriction made on the basis of sex, which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field”.

• Countries ratifying this convention were required to enshrine gender equality into their domestic legislation and enact new laws to guard against discrimination against women.

They were also expected to establish tribunals and public institutions to guarantee women effective protection from individuals, organizations and enterprises.

GUYANA’S RECORD ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN:
• Guyana has an extremely poor record when it comes to violence against women and we need to act with great urgency to improve this record. This record will not be improved by the mere deliberation and passage of this motion. We desperately need to match our words with action in this country if we are to move forward.

Thus far we have been going backwards and other countries have come from behind and surpassed us. Laws that just sit on paper neither worth even the paper they sit upon or the ink with which they are printed.

• According to statistics released by the Guyana government on June 12, 2008, there were 3,600 cases of domestic violence reported in 2007 compared to 1,708 the previous year. This information was carried in the Guyana Chronicle and the Stabroek News of June 12th, 2008.

• If we take the hypothetical figure of 1000 cases per year between 1980 when Guyana signed this Convention, and 2005 mathematically it is 25,000 cases. Added to the cases for 2006 and 2007 it will mean 30,508 cases.

• What is more appalling is the fact that many cases go unreported and unrecorded. Many suffer silently in their homes without telling anyone. It is like an iceberg which has its major portion submerged. It is there but it is unseen. This problem is many times more serious than what it is reported to be.

• According to the US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for year 2007, domestic violence in Guyana is widespread. At least one in three Guyanese women has been a victim of domestic violence.

WISDOM OF INTELLECTUALS IGNORED:
• One of the reasons why we have so many cases of domestic violence in this beautiful country is because we have closed our hearts to the wisdom of the intellectuals. We seem to have lost important values. Values are like maps in our lives. When we don’t have them we go astray. Let us look at what some of our intellectuals of yesteryear had to say on violence:-

• Mahatma Gandhi, Peace Advocate, said “Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary”.

• Julius K. Nyerere, politician and first president of Tanzania, said “Violence is unnecessary and costly. Peace is the only way”.

• Martin Luther King Jr., Religious Leader said “Nothing good ever comes out of violence”.

• Albert Einstein, Scientist said “Degeneracy follows every autocratic system of violence, for violence inevitably attracts moral inferiors. Time has proven that illustrious tyrants are succeeded by scoundrels”.

• Ralph Waldo Emerson, Philosopher said “All violence, all that is dreary and repels, is not power but the absence of power”.

EXAMPLES OF ABUSED WOMEN:
• I will refer to just three cases where women were abused into the grave.

• Do we remember the name Sade Stoby? In Nov, 2007 this nine-year-old child was returning from school but never got home alive. She lived at Mocha, EBD. She was attacked, raped and murdered.

Villagers say that young men on drugs would often climb the mango trees and pounce upon innocent women as they pass by. Sometimes they will be successful in fighting them off. Little Sade Stoby was certainly no match for three young men.

• Do we remember the name Nafeeza Khan? This 22-year-old mother of three was knifed to death on Oct 13, 2008 by her 34-year-old reputed husband. She lived at Goed Fortuin Squatting Area, WBD. Neighbours related that she was often abused by her husband who was a heavy drinker.

They related that just prior to her demise they went to the welfare department at Vreed-en-Hoop and were told that the department does not have a vehicle and thus could not help them.

• Do you remember the name Creavone Thorne? On Thu Nov 27, 2008 her bloated, partly decomposed, half nude body was fished out of a trench at Thomas Lands in the vicinity of the National Park. Her body was spotted by a cattle farmer who was grazing his cows near to the trench.

• There are many more disturbing cases, the newspapers tell these real life stories of violence against women daily.

OUR FUTURE COURSE:
If our aim is to eliminate violence against women we must do certain practical things. Unless we can take a course of positive action, this motion which was recently passed and many other pieces of legislation which may already be in existence will not benefit one single woman in Guyana. My purpose in mentioning the three foregoing cases is to bring us to these practical steps:-

• Those of us who are considered to be leaders in our country need to set an example worth emulating. I mean some of us who even sit in this assembly. Too many of us live by the foolish proverb “Do as I say but don’t do as I do “. If Almighty God was to flash our life across a screen what will He see? Will He see some of our men here as women abusers, heavy drinkers, irresponsible husbands, men who sleep around?

• There must be a concerted effort to curb alcohol consumption in this land. Young Nafeeza was killed by a drunken husband.

• Every effort must be made to end the sale and consumption of mind damaging and mind controlling drugs such as cocaine, marijuana etc. Why is it that almost every village in Guyana has a drug yard? Sade Stoby and many others like her lost their lives to men who were known to be on drugs.

CONCLUSION:
• The first resolve clause on page 3 calls on the National Assembly to (1) condemn such behaviour as socially and culturally unacceptable in our society (2) assist victims to seek help (3) consciously develop programmes.

It does not require resources to condemn. Anyone can do this. However, to assist victims, and to develop and execute programmes call for human and financial resources. Is the government of the day prepared to spend in this area?

Will shelters be built to help victims? When the government signed this convention it committed itself to establish tribunals and public institutions which can protect women against domestic violence.

After more than two decades of the signing of this Convention our innocent women are still languishing in bloodshed, murders and other forms of brutality.

Will we see some concrete measures taken to lift our country out of this state of disrepute and achieve some state of respectability? Success in this area cannot and will not come if we only speak, and write about this matter.

• My most important submission is reserved for the last. According to Biblical teaching, one of the most heinous sins man can commit is the shedding of human blood, worse yet the blood of women. Ro 3:15-18 “Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes”.

When men lack the fear of God they will not think twice to shed the blood of innocent women.

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