Continued domestic violence suggests that something is not working
Something I have long argued for is that perpetrators should be in safe houses and women living in their family homes. Domestic Violence is a crisis that has been flashing red in Guyana and across the Caribbean. The evidence is domestic violence is widely prevalent and stubbornly resistant to the various interventions on offer by authorities and entities operating in this area.Guyana has a legislative framework underpinned by the Domestic Violence Act, Sexual Violence Act and some of the most comprehensive systems, processes and guidance. Yet, “the first national survey on gender-based violence revealed that more than half (55%) of all women experienced at least one form of violence. More than one in ten has experienced physical and/or sexual violence from a male partner in the past 12 months” Something is not working. Something needs to change. Supporting victims of domestic abuse is important but this will not change the perpetrator’s behaviour.
We know from evidence the perpetrator’s narrative “my dad used to beat me up, my dad used to beat my mum up, and I thought it was normal just to beat people up if they make you angry”. “Violence is normalised, drugs is normalised, crime is normalised and that is how people live for generations”. So what if the perpetrator was treated like the victim, offered a safe house, cognitive behaviour therapy, rehabilitation and the required support under supervision of the authorities. What if this approach became a first response for handling domestic abuse in the family home? To end violent behaviour you have to find and address the source. It is not as simple as getting women to leave and punishing the perpetrator. It’s about therapy and behavioural change. One way to measure behavioural change is to look at reoffending rates. To support my argument I will cite the findings of the ground breaking Ghandi Nivas five year study undertaken in New Zealand by Massey University (2020) which offers conclusive evidence that using an early intervention therapeutic approach reduces reoffending. The study concluded that 57.5% of men did not reoffend after engaging with Gandhi Nivas services.
So, in Guyana we have 55% of women facing up to domestic violence from men whilst this study shows over 55% of men with a history of violence towards women did not reoffend. Gandhi Nivas was launched in 2014 in Counties Manukau, Auckland, to meet the counselling and housing needs of men who are bound by Police Safety Orders (PSOs) and cannot return to their homes. PSOs came into operation in July 2010 to provide police with a means to immediately improve the safety of persons at risk of family violence. The Report, titled, Gandhi Nivas 2014-2019: A statistical description of client demographics and involvement in Police recorded Family Violence occurrences is a widely available publication. I am hopeful that policy makers in Guyana and across the Caribbean can look to the future with this kind of service model: fully funded, fully staffed and fully evaluated. We need to recognise that many countries are redefining domestic violence as hostage taking and terrorism. Our women deserve to be free from both. Sincerely,
Devv Ramdas
The Caribbean Voice