A fresh approach to addressing domestic violence

Mar 23, 2011 Peeping Tom

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Dear Editor,
In the spirit of appreciation, reflection, contemplation and envisioning and embodies the ethos of International Women’s Day, I salute all especially Guyanese women and other historically marginalized gender groups for their courage, perseverance and contributions to the well-being of our society.
Gender issues in Guyana are extremely complex, interlinked and often invisibly inter-twined with cultural, social, historic and economic experiences.  This is one of the reasons why our local approach to preventing and reducing instances male on female domestic violence require a wider focus and narrower objectives and initiatives.  Currently we are spreading a ton of awareness however practical empowering alternatives and transformative mechanisms such as clinical therapy critically lag behind.  Imagine foregoing rehabilitation before taking the cast off a broken hand and then being forced to paddle a row boat across the Atlantic.  This is what we are doing, the currents of the ocean and the wind may help us to move a bit in the direction we wish to go but unless and until we correct the real problem, we will continue to have mixed results and not reach that tipping point that ushers in a cultural mindset that views domestic violence as intolerable, unacceptable and un-Guyanese.
One strategy to address this lag is to develop culturally and situationally specific interventions and policies across and within cultural groups, in the areas of justice, human and national security, social services, labour, health, youth and religion.
For example we often see the Christian community preaching about domestic violence; the recently established Men’s Affairs Bureau and the Men Empowerment Network are working to address domestic violence issues and are primarily coordinated by notable Christian leaders.
Where is the public involvement of the Hindu and Muslim communities? Don’t these religious communities and their consistencies experience domestic violence?   Perhaps I am under-informed but I’ve not heard of any national or regional imitative by the latter two groups which together with existing initiatives by national and other groups can make serious inroads.
The second point I want to make about our approach to domestic violence in Guyana is that it is horribly one-sided.  By this I mean we rightfully expend a great deal of energy working to protect and empower women with the hope that they’ll be able to stand up and stay no to domestic violence or prevent themselves and other women from getting into such situations in the first place.
Many gender activists and experts such Sarah Sharratt, Nadine Peuchbuirbal and Jacobo Shifter acknowledge that research and planning regarding male one female domestic violence should be broadened and accommodative of lessons from male on male violence.
Male on male violence is the most pervasive, accepted and practised form of violence in Guyana and cannot be divorced from domestic violence against women.  To do so would be to engage a violent, deceptive and fictitious effort to combat domestic violence.  Whether in the home, school or social circle men primarily learn violence from other men.  This includes physical, verbal, internal and the relational dynamics of group and dyadic violence.
A more in-depth understanding of male to male violence and efforts to promote attitudinal and behavioral transformations addresses the root cause of the problem which is the accepted and practised levels of violence in Guyanese
culture. Addressing and understanding male violence toward women in domestic situations is important, however it is a narrow approach to reducing propensity for violence in men because it often excludes understandings of  male perceptions of violence which is different from male perceptions of violence against women.
It is equally disempowering for a woman to perceive herself as helpless, vulnerable and inadequate as it is for a man to perceive himself as violent, detached and incomplete regardless of social consequences (not context).
Key to promoting perceptual and behavioral changes in men as it relates to violence and domestic violence is better understanding male on male violence, particularly its cultural and relational elements.
Women do not cause men to be violent; it is culture and while spreading awareness about domestic violence is does not address the fundamental and entrenched problem of perceptions and propensities to be violent.
We have countless cases of examples where government, civil service officials and non-governmental public figures have acted violent toward their spouses, “sweet women” as we call it in Guyana and even toward other men in public.
These mixed messages indicate either of two things; (1) that at the national level the perpetuation of violence in our society and against women is under prioritized and/or (2) we have yet to fully appreciate and understand the cultural entrenchment of violence in Guyanese society.
Broadening and focusing empowering experiences and opportunities for women, citrus paribus while transforming male perceptions of male to male violence should be the basis from which we continue to plan and develop interventions.
I wish to fully endorse the recent call by the Gender Equality Commission for a Parliamentary Women’s Caucus.  I also call on all male Parliamentarians to take a pledge to end and prevent domestic violence against women.
Rawle Small

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