Parliamentary committee to reach out to victims of domestic violence
SURVIVORS of domestic violence will be encouraged to share their stories when a joint select committee of Parliament, now reviewing the Domestic Violence Act, goes into communities to garner feedback that can help to strengthen the legislation.
This community outreach exercise is to be done in addition to the formal written submissions that have been invited by the committee.
Opposition Senator Sophia Frazer Binns made the proposal for the community meetings during Thursday’s sitting of the committee.
She suggested that the committee should convene at least three meetings in communities outside of Kingston.
“We have to, as parliamentarians, [understand that] there is so much more that we can learn when we take matters to people and I believe that given the very important role that this piece of legislation is going to play in terms of how we deal with gender-based violence, then it can only help us if we take it to the community and have them share with us what they believe would be an effective way to treat with gender-based violence.
“I do believe that the recommendations that will be coming out of these interactions can then influence the final decisions that we make. We may not accept them, but certainly it is worth considering,” said Frazer Binns.
“Kingston is not Jamaica. We have to recognise that there are persons who may not be able to traverse to Kingston, for one reason or another, but they have recommendations, they have a story to tell, they have things that they can share that will help us to make better laws,” added Frazer Binns.
She argued that while the normal process is to take written submissions, the people who need the intervention of the law the most may not able to make these.
“And so we’re giving them that opportunity to talk with us to share with us what they believe would help them and other persons who are survivors of domestic violence,” said the Opposition senator.
Her suggestion was quickly accepted by chair of the committee, minister with responsibility for gender affairs Olivia “Babsy” Grange, who described it as an excellent idea.
Grange suggested that the outreach could be done in collaboration with the Bureau of Gender Affairs through the 19 gender affairs-focused organisations it works with under its Partnership for Empowerment initiative which involves islandwide sensitisation and awareness raising sessions with a number of groups and communities.
Government Senator Kavan Gayle also supported the suggestion from Frazer Binns and pointed out that as a trade unionist, he has learnt that when making decisions on behalf of workers, they have to be consulted.
“This is a piece of legislation that we are trying to improve that is for both the protection and prevention and also proposes and promotes a change in behaviour in society. Not everyone is going to want to come to Gordon House or come to the Parliament, some people just watch the Parliament on television, but they would hope that they could make recommendations to those legislations that are going to impact them,” said Gayle.
“[The] idea really is intended on changing behaviour in the society. So those who are abusers we may change them, [while] those who are being abused can further understand what we’re doing in terms of improving a legislation to impact them,“added Gayle.
But Government Senator Dr Saphire Longmore, though in agreement with engaging in this public discourse, pointed out that victims of domestic abuse might be reluctant to speak out.
She told the committee the story of a 29-year-old female who was beaten by her partner a week or two ago. According to Longmore, the woman is in a state of shock and has gone mute and is not eating.
Longmore said that the victim and her mother are in fear of the attacker who was released on bail on the same day that he brutally abused the woman.
“When we go out there, [we have to] recognise that a victim, even in that space, will not come forward. Unfortunately, they are so fearful that even though you are taking it to them, they will not come forward,” argued Longmore.
“My advocacy is for some of these townhall engagements to be occurring, post the [review] process so that we can inform our public as to what are the ramifications and the avenues that they have as interventions when they are victims of domestic violence,” said Longmore.
However, principal director, Bureau of Women’s Affairs, Sharon Robinson, told the committee that people do turn out when the bureau does its outreach in communities.
“It’s easier for them because they don’t have to travel to Kingston and so what we do we use town centres, churches, town halls, and spaces, community centres, spaces that they would normally be able to traverse and to get to, and we have persons on the ground itself, who would be like community mobilisers and they will be able to round up those persons and...convince them by moral suasion to come to the sessions because of the importance of it.
“So yes, they will come out and the good thing sometimes they bring a family, they will bring a male with them...and they will bring children and neighbours,” said Robinson.
The committee is reviewing the Domestic Violence Act in an effort to give greater protection to victims and to strengthen the mechanisms to deal effectively with the perpetrators.