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Sharp increase in sexual violence against Venezuelan women in Guyana
—NGO tells UN human rights body
Last Friday’s hearing
kaieteur News-Blossom Inc. at a hearing on Friday told the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) that Gender-based and sexual violence against Venezuelan women living in Guyana has significantly increased in the last five years.
Speaking on behalf of the Non-Governmental Organisation, Blossom Inc’s founder, Ayodele Dalgety-Dean, told the human rights body, “Blossom Inc.’s data reveals a sharp increase in the number of sexual and gender-based violence amongst Venezuelan migrants over the past five years”.
She said that from 2020 to day, her organisation has reported some 307 cases and most of them occurring in Guyana’s hinterland regions. “The escalation of violence is particularly pronounced in Region Seven, where 174 cases were reported”, she added.
Dalgety-Dean noted that Region Seven is considered a hotspot for exploitation and trafficking because of transient population and limited law enforcement presence. She explained that the violence being suffered by these women are not only impacting their lives but the lives of their migrant children. She even shared some stories of survivors, quoting them directly.
“Beneficiary AA shared, ‘I left Venezuela thinking I would find safety here in Guyana but what I found was worse. I was promised work in the mining camps but I was forced into prostitution. I was beaten when I try to resist, and when I tried to go to the authorities, they treated me like I didn’t belong here”, Dalgety-Dean reported to the Human Rights Body.
After sharing that victim’s story, she went on to explain to the commissioners at the IACHR hearing that it illustrates the exploitation being faced by the migrant women being trafficked in Guyana’s hinterland regions. “It also highlights the compounded difficulties of sexual and gender-based violence and xenophobic treatment where victims are met with hostility from local authorities and communities.
Dalgety-Dean also highlighted those undocumented migrants are more at risk because they fear being deported. “Beneficiary AB…described her experience, ‘the fear of reporting the violence was too much. I had no papers and I was scared that I would be sent back to Venezuela. The abuse I suffer was too much to bear but I had no one to turn to”, Dalgety-Dean said as she reported another victims story.
Responding for the state, Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs, Gail Teixeira said that law enforcement authorities do treat the victims of gender based and sexual violence with hostility. “We do recognise that there has been prejudices in the way in which the police have handled some of the cases referred to by the CSOs”, the minister said before adding, “However, a number of those cases have been dated…”
While acknowledging the shortcomings, the minister said that the constitutionally established Women and Gender Equality Commission has not received any complaints relating to gender-based violence involving migrants or sex workers or transgender women. “In light of this, the state party reaffirms the principle of exhausting domestic remedies prior to submitting alleged violations to international or regional bodies such as the IACHR.”
Minister Teixeira also disputed Blossom Inc.’s account that the United Nations (UN) agencies in Guyana has reported violence against migrants in Guyana. “There has been no reported incident of sexual violence against the migrant population by the UN bodies that are operating within the migrant communities.” In response to the claims made by the minister, Blossom Inc.’s founder said that all sources of violence are reported to the police and are within the agency’s systems. She added, “What I was wondering about is that obviously there is a breakdown in communication and maybe how things are recorded in the system and we are happy to be part of that solution to ensure that the reports are recorded in a way that is transparent for all agencies.”
(Sharp increase in sexual violence against Venezuelan women in Guyana)
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