Govt. solicits Diaspora support to advance GBV fight

May 25, 2019 News

Gender-based violence [GBV] has been increasingly linked to the untimely demised of a number of women although men have been known to fall prey to this vice as well. Recognising that there must be urgency in addressing this societal scourge, Government through its Ministry of Social Protection has redoubled its efforts to combat GBV.
Primary among its tactical response has been a move to collaborate with like-minded agencies, among other stakeholders. This approach was recently amplified in a public announcement issued by the Social Protection Ministry.
According to the information released by the Ministry “it is constantly engaged in numerous collaborative ventures that result in police officers, public officials, frontline workers, children, men and women being trained in improving their response to GBV at various levels.”
Among the initiatives that the Ministry has embraced are the 16 days of Activism against gender-based violence campaign, sexual assault awareness and domestic violence awareness activities. These, according to the Ministry, are the avenues through which information is disseminated and a call to action is achieved.
In fact communities at Moraikobai, Bartica, Orealla and Siparuta were the recent beneficiaries of a Ministry’s on-going regional public education and awareness campaign. However, the Ministry has noted that “this is just a minuscule number of initiatives of the Ministry geared at addressing GBV.”
Moreover it has accepted that going forward, the fight against GBV cannot be addressed unaccompanied without the full involvement of all Guyanese. It was further amplified that “addressing GBV requires a multiplicity of approaches at the individual, family, community and societal levels.”
“Guyanese and members of the Diaspora must be willing to collectively pool efforts and resources to ensure that victims and potential victims are afforded the support and opportunities, not only to leave abusive and unhealthy relationships but to make well-informed future choices that do not reincarnate previous ones,” the Ministry has proposed.
Even as war is waged against GBV, the Ministry has brought to the fore that the need to challenge societal norms that enforce negative stereotypes which make one gender superior or more entitled to the other is of paramount importance. “We must be willing to put aside our differences, whether political, racial or otherwise; and recognise that GBV affects every strata of society and there is an economic and social burden of dependency on already limited resources.
“We must be willing to support the work of the government, NGOs and civil society and not try to stymie efforts that can achieve inevitable progress,” the Ministry has noted adding, “we must recognise that our legislations though incomplete, are far more advanced than many of our counterparts in the Caribbean.
“We will endeavour in the not so distant future to revise these important documents to ensure maximum protection and the strategic prevention of this scourge in Guyana.”
To achieve its GBV eradication goal, Government has therefore conceptualised an inclusive society where Guyanese are respected, equipped, empowered and supported to live violence-free lives.
Through greater commitment, “we will continue to demonstrate coordinated collaboration and consistent strategic actions of all stakeholders.”
Included in the GBV response, the Social Protection Ministry has developed a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion policy and corresponding implementation plan and a Costed Strategic Plan for the Empowerment of Women and addressing the underachievement of boys.
“These important instruments will inform the programmes and initiatives undertaken as we advance closer to the 2030 agenda, and more specifically towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal [SDG] Five.”
SDG Five speaks to achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls. Added to this, the Ministry said that it will continue to work with men and boys.

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