EU decries femicides within the country, 28 so far for 2018

Nov 28, 2018 News

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Femicides- the intentional killing of women — has permeated the social atmosphere of not just the Caribbean region but Guyana as well. The ill, in just this year has caused the lives of 28 women in the country.
There were over 2,000 in the Caribbean in the previous year.
In a recent panel discussion, the European Union decried the global issue that is femicide within the region; perpetrators who are closely or intimately related to women were said to have committed the majority of femicides.
Aptly, this discussion comes just three days after the “International Day towards the Elimination of Violence against Women and Femicide”.
Gender-based violence refers to any harmful act that is perpetrated against a person’s will, but more importantly, it is an act that is perpetrated based on one’s gender. This is often due to socially ascribed gender norms, which dictate how men and women should behave.
According to reports by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), at least one in three women in Guyana is a victim of gender-based violence. While, this is quite alarming, one can attribute these statistics to the normalization of unequal power dynamics in relationships between men and women worldwide.
Notably, it was also found that 58% of child abuse cases, both physical and sexual, were girls.
Clinical psychologist, Raiza Teixeira, presenting at the EU’s panel discussion, elucidated that gender-based violence is often perpetuated within society by these very unequal power dynamics.
Teixeira commented on the normalization of the gender roles that society would project on individuals. She attributed this “social conditioning” as the main contributing factor in the cycle of domestic and gender based violence.
It was stated that gender based violence, the root cause of femicides, is often not treated with much concern by members of society. Akin to this, Teixeira stated that the culture of aggression that Guyana’s society has often regards gender-based violence as if it were a part of the country’s culture itself.
Gender-based violence, a catalyst for femicides, crosses all social and cultural barriers. With this being said, the discussion brought out many of the misconceptions of the ill by society, including the fact that it can happen in a plethora of ways. It was stressed that the root cause of the issue can undermine the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its survivors, causing unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, HIV and even the loss of lives.
This form of violence stymies the fundamental right of freedom for women, negatively affects their social and physical wellbeing and furthermore affects that of their families. However, despite of the various policies and laws in place, women in Guyana and in the Caribbean region are still being posed with the struggles that come with gender disparities.
Teixeira explained that victims and perpetrators both are sometimes not aware that forms of gender-based violence are being portrayed. She added that it is the little things-that might not be depicted through violence-that should raise red flags.
Further, adding that victims often lose themselves in their perpetrators.
“Persons lose themselves in their perpetrators, you ask them what do they like, what are their interests, what drives them… but they can only say what they as a couple like… that sense of self is lost…”
Teixeira stated that the dissonance that is often seen between what victims were before they were with their perpetrators is usually quite evident. The phenomenon that is gender-based violence can often have emotionally debilitating effects on survivors.
Linkage between socially ascribed gender roles and perpetrators, survivors
It was recognized that Guyana’s “children should be seen and not heard” culture has acted as a major influencing factor in the current affairs of gender-based violence. Teixeira attributed this social conditioning as a predisposing factor for the number of femicides within the region.
She explained that children are forced to conform from a very young age to projected gender roles that often have double standards for women. In fact, Teixeira asserted that gender role socialization does not serve in favour of women; it only sets them up as the recipients of potential abuse and victimization.
She added that the concept of using violence as a corrective measure for children can cause them to grow up thinking that violence is the correct approach to deal with issues in their other relationships.
Therefore, Teixeira conveyed that there is need for society to not only provide support for the victim but for perpetrators as well.
Efforts are currently being made by the appropriate governmental organizations to combat gender based violence and femicide statistics within the country. The European Union has also stated their support in advocating against the issue within the country.
Femicide remains one of the most oppressing and extreme forms of violence against women.

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