Ht Initiative hoping to turn ainst domestic violence
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ted Nations to eliminate all forms against women and girls by 2030. hed here on November 1st, 2020. has been allocated €4.5M ($1bilt its efforts to tackle gender-based violence over a period of three one of six Caribbean countries to the initiative.
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year, a 914 hotline was also der the Spotlight Initiative in direct the escalating number of domestic iolence cases. our toll-free hotline allows persons port the crime and also seek assiscall
is placed between 8 am and s routed to a trained customer serr, who, in turn, will connect the ocial worker. de after these hours and during the ill be forwarded to the cellphones workers where all calls will be with confidentiality. The social expected to provide necessary s and refer children and parents to e providers and other relevant
explained that the Ministry has boration with the Guyana Police ) as it relates to dealing with the
evel of our outreach to the police at the Commander level and then fect what happens thereafter,” she
er explained that the hotline has ponents and provides for reports hose that may need immediate
words if someone calls in at that they are being abused or violated, point if they can, because somefficult, there would be an immedie because we would have direct h the police,” Persaud related. d that thus far there has been no owever, if the situation does arise,
hrice in bie Dam
d that the occupants of the two cars called out for Johnson. Johnson is wife exited the car and attempthen one of the men fired his gun son on his hands and abdomen. tors then escaped. was escorted to the GPH where he d. His condition is listed as stable. ve since detained Green for further Two 9mm spent shells and one mm war head were recovered from
measures are in place for action to be taken instantly.
Currently the hotline is being manned by ten individuals from the Child Care and Protection Agency as well as Social Services.
An additional ten persons who will be solely phone operators are expected to join soon.
Persaud informed that these individuals have all completed training with the UN agencies and will be trained continuously.
“I believe this is important because the nature of the reports might change, how they interface is important, how they deliver the service on behalf of the ministry is important and it’s also asking the public to place trust that the number and the system will work,” Persaud said.
“Men are victims too”
Since the hotline has been in operation, Persaud said they have received numerous reports, the majority of which women are the victims.
She however noted that while men account for a small percentage of the reports, they are victims too.
“We have seen not only women being affected but children and there is also, I would say, maybe not a large percentage of men being affected but enough men for me to say that ‘yes, men too find themselves in violent situations’”, Persaud related.
Speaking at the launch of the 914 hotline in December last year, Persaud had reported that in 2019, the Ministry received 1,009 reports of violence from January to July and 568 cases in 2020.
She had stated that police figures show that nine out of ten perpetrators are men and nine out of ten victims are women and the most common type of violence is assault.
Persaud added that 60 per cent of abusers that were arrested have been charged but it is her hope that this percentage will soon increase to 100. She also revealed that 80 per cent of all reported cases involve persons in an intimate relationship.
According to Persaud, reports can be made by the victims themselves or someone who is concerned. During the process, she said, certain details are required to be provided.
“If it is that they need help maybe to go to make a report at the station, or they need [to know] where they have to access a lawyer or a legal recourse,” she said.
Shelter and protection
While acknowledging that there are various types of cases with different levels of urgency, Persaud said that those which entail the victim being provided with shelter and protection for safety purposes is available.
She said that the Ministry has a number of shelters, while there are a “healthy” number of civil society organisations and support organisations partnering to provide facilities for this reason.
“So if someone needs to move, well, we say we can do this, that, or the other, depending on
the actual case. Someone might have called in and they want to move but they don’t want to go to a shelter, maybe they just need to go to a family member or maybe they will go to a family member, but after they move to safety what next? And so the help could be given,” Persaud explained.
All the shelters are secured. For security and confidentiality purposes, Persaud said details of shelters are not placed in the public domain.
While being housed, Persaud explained that the victims are being provided with all the necessities including food, clothing and in a lot of cases, training to equip them for the future.
“Some of them are persons who may need to be there longer than a week or two. Some people have been there for months especially through COVID and they come with their children too. So making sure that there is connectivity in the shelter, children have to access schools and some of those persons don’t have any skills and it’s getting to a point where at some point they have to go out there, in a safer environment after the procedures and the process would have been followed, maybe they needed to go to court, whatever, to that point where they are ready to leave, they are going out there, they are better,” she further explained.
According to Persaud, there are various factors which contributed to persons choosing to stay in violent situations such as lack of financial independence and moral support.
“… A lot of women stay in these situations not only [are] they thinking of themselves, they are thinking how they are going to provide for their children,” she said.
“… A lot of people stay in these things because they feel there is nothing and no one to speak to or to get help,” she added.
In addition, Persaud said that counselling is available and is being conducted by probation and welfare officers. However, she acknowledged that they are currently “overburdened”.
As such, the Ministry is hoping to develop a counselling unit, Persaud said.
Persons can also call the hotline to report cases of human trafficking/smuggling.