Manickchand lauds Men of Purpose initiative

May 04, 2009 News

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand says that she is pleased with the initiative by the male group, Men of Purpose (MOP) for their publicly stated stance condemning domestic violence.
The group along with the Youth Advocacy Movement (YAM) on Wednesday last, joined hands in their effort to highlight the message denouncing domestic violence which has been on the increase in recent times.
The show of solidarity was a human chain formed outside of the Supreme Court where the men were flanked by two banners which read ‘Men Standing up Against Domestic Violence’ and ‘Men Joining Hands Against Domestic Violence.’

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand

Executive Director of GRPA, Fredrick Cox had mentioned that the groups will be traveling to all 10 administrative regions in an effort to sensitise particularly men, on the issue of domestic violence.
According to Manickchand it was an excellent move given that it was something that the Ministry was working very hard to achieve, namely getting more of civil society to get onboard the ‘Stamp it Out’ bandwagon, “particularly more men.”
Manickchand said that in order to end the scourge, all of civil society, private sector, religious bodies and NGOs must adopt a proactive approach.
The Minister disclosed that she was aware that the Christian community was gearing to launch a campaign where the men would be speaking out against domestic violence.
She noted that in this case it would be more than speaking out, since the group was seeking to take practical proactive steps to eradicating the social ill.
“I believe MOP was timely…I think it is something to not be a one off but in a more organized way so that we can continue to not only raise awareness but do things that are practical.”
The Stamp it Out Campaign which was recently launched, saw sessions being hosted throughout the length and breadth of Guyana, and resulted in the drafting of the Sexual Offence Bill which seeks to toughen the laws on sexual offences and domestic violence in general.
In its attempt to break the cycle of violence against women and stem the sudden increase in such incidents, the Ministry through its Domestic Violence Policy Unit has been conducting a number of seminars with various sports associations and other related agencies to help persons better understand the negatives and future consequences of such behaviour.
Manickchand, in June last year, launched the National Domestic Violence Policy (DVP) under the theme ‘Break the cycle – take control.’
The launch was the realization of a document that was in formulation for just about a year prior, and the National Domestic Violence Oversight Committee was tasked with its implementation.
According to Manickchand, the National Policy should be seen as a milestone in the long battle, and a significant achievement, given that in the past, there has only been a lot of talk despite the fact that Guyana passed the Domestic Violence Bill 1996, which has since been assented to by President Bharrat Jagdeo.
The Minister, seeking to assure the ordinary Guyanese who have been or will be subjected to abuse, said that the launch will “hit the ground running” and not be another “talk-shop,” since support services as well as legal aid services have already been implemented.
At the time she had also appealed for all relevant stakeholders to play their roles in ensuring that the scourge of domestic violence is eradicated.
Domestic violence in Guyana has been recognised as crossing all boundaries, including racial and socioeconomic lines, and has been categorised as the most prevalent form of interpersonal violence in Guyana.
The policy that was launched is seeking to have the root causes of the problem and impress upon the nation that the behaviour should be seen and treated as the violation of fundamental and collective rights.
The policy is geared at working with specific deadlines and mechanisms to be implemented.