Another day, another woman murdered

Dec 01, 2015 Editorial, Features / Columnists

A coward and a heartless, cold-blooded murderer stabbed Melissa Skeete to death several days before the nation observed International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Another day passed and another woman—23-year-old Malani Narine of Essequibo—was allegedly murdered by her husband.
Violence against women has become a pandemic in Guyana and is the result of persisting inequalities between the sexes. It is estimated that one in three women in Guyana is being abused by their spouse/partner; the nation must unite to prevent this scourge.
In Guyana as in other countries, death has always been a very sad affair for people. Some fear it; others do not like it and many do not want to hear about it; but most believe that death is never easy to accept even though a person has lived to a ripe old age. Indeed, death is even more difficult, and indeed extremely more painful when the person is viciously murdered for no apparent reason, as in the recent case of Melissa Skeete.
Regrettably, the sense of loss is especially heart-rending for her four infant children who will not get the opportunity to grow-up and enjoy God’s greatest gift–life with their mother. The trauma they are experiencing would be extremely difficult to overcome. In fact, trauma often leaves emotional scars on children, which could remain with them for the rest of their lives, particularly when they learn of the brutal manner in which their mother was stabbed to death and thrown in the street in broad daylight by her jilted lover.
Thirty-one year-old Melissa Skeete would have celebrated another birthday next Tuesday. Relatives, friends and neighbours have expressed disgust at the brutal slaying. The murder smacks of a callousness and lack of regard for human life. This is reminiscent of some of the most ferocious murders of women in the country.
The death of this young woman is tragic, as is the unnatural violent death of anyone. The sense of loss is overpowering. The grief is unbearable.
It seems as though some women are becoming the property of some men in Guyana because of their socio-economic status which make them dependable on their partners. And despite some efforts by the government and the police to prevent such heinous crimes, the murder rate for women continues rise. The situation is poised to escalate unless the entire nation gets involved to prevent men from committing such barbaric crimes against women.
It should be the responsibility of everyone, especially the government to protect the most vulnerable in society.
The death of Melissa Skeete resulted from overly zealous actions by her lover who wanted to control her. This cannot be good news for women who are in abusive relationships and whose spouses have threatened to kill them if they attempt to end their relationship. The truth is most women are scared to leave their spouses because of fear of meeting the same fate as Melissa.
The Government and the police need to seriously address this problem. They cannot wait for another woman to be murdered. Democracy for women is being threatened because their freedom to life, liberty and happiness in Guyana is in jeopardy. Their blood is being shed too often for nothing of consequence.
While there are some measures in place to protect women from domestic abuse by their spouses, they are not enough. More security is needed to protect women so that they can enjoy their freedom like everyone else in society.
Nelson Mandela once said, “The victory of democracy . . . is the common achievement of all humanity.”

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