Not all women can run away, as advised by Singing Francine. They are treated worse than dogs. They are treated with vindictiveness. They are ‘owned’ and dare not challenge the man or seek to pursue their own decisions or rights. This week, we add Netanya Mohamdally to the list of …
Read More »Noble: T&T must address childhood trauma, or risk being outnumbered by criminals
Trinidadians are amazing people. Glorifying each raid led by Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith, we ignore his 21 November prophecy, in Chaguanas, of 100,000 new criminals in the next five years. “It is really important for us… to look at secondary crime prevention… If we do not deal with this …
Read More »Dear Editor: We need system for couples in challenging relationships; Letters on DV in T&T
“How casually the matter is reported, right alongside the business news. What amazes me is the fact that we have become so desensitised as a people that a woman can lose her life today and it is business as usual tomorrow.” The following letter, written by Roslyn Williams-George, is the …
Read More »What we resist, persists; we must dig deeper into gender relations: Letters on domestic violence in T&T
“The latest research shows that men trace their right to beat women to patriarchal power over women, which they say, comes from religion and culture… Billions of—paid and unpaid—hours of training and education against domestic violence have not produced practical change. “[…] Although individuals have transformed and there is less …
Read More »Dear Abuser… if you love them, leave them alone: Letters on domestic violence in T&T
“Dear Abuser… I am asking you please, if you love them, leave them alone. Acknowledge that you are toxic. “Acknowledge that you have hurt and violated them in a way intimate partners never should, and leave them alone…” The following letter written by Rachael Amanda Espinet—who described herself as the …
Read More »Caribbean gender violence is a left-over from colonialism: Letters on domestic violence in T&T
“The Caribbean’s brand of gender-based violence is partly supported by the legacy of colonialism that manifests in race, age, gender and class relations. “The power construct of the plantation system included the ownership of bodies that transferred into the post-emancipation/post-indentureship entitlement of men and masculinities in domestic and social relationships.” …
Read More »Dear Editor: Baldeosingh suggests ‘gender feminists’ use ‘specious facts’ on domestic violence
“The available data suggest that 40 percent of women are abusive towards their partners, with an even higher rate likely to initiate violence. “This is why the other frequently cited statistic ‘that one in three women are victims of domestic violence’ is meaningless, since it does not take account of …
Read More »Living Law: Three strikes? What the Domestic Violence Act really says
Domestic Violence is a little like the air around us; we know it’s there but we tend not to pay too much attention to it until some stench makes us fully aware of its existence. It may be stretching things more than a little to classify as a case of …
Read More »Dear Editor: How sloppy policing contributes to violent domestic deaths
“This friend has a protection order against her brother, whose behaviour is becoming increasingly unpredictable. She told me that she had been to the police station to report yet another round of threats from him and informed—or reminded—the police of the protection order. “The officer in charge of the station …
Read More »Dear Editor: Do stats confirm domestic violence ‘epidemic’? Baldeosingh examines
“The police get more than 1,800 domestic violence reports annually and about 1,300 of these involve physical violence. This works out to an average of 25 per day. This means that, if the mandate being demanded by activists is met, at least 50 police officers will be expending at least …
Read More »Do churches condone domestic violence? Can Christian spouses continue to turn the other cheek?
“In conversations with a couple of Christian girlfriends about my situation, I discovered that their Christian husbands were also physically and emotionally abusive. And in October of this year, I met another young woman at a Christmas event who admitted that her Christian husband was also guilty of abuse but …
Read More »STREET VIBES: Violence and videos; why MoE continues to struggle with unruly students
Recently, a series of videos have been making the rounds showing young people in school uniforms, many of them young ladies, engaged in fights. One fight is hardly out of our minds before another imprints itself on it, complementing—if that is the appropriate word—the repugnant images of girls kicking, punching, …
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