Tag Archives: Gender Based Violence

“[…] What is most worrisome is the media’s purposeful glossing over of Watson Duke’s history. I cannot be the only one aware of his four indecent assault charges and one rape charge. It churns my stomach.  “As a woman, how can I be comfortable with this? How is the victim …

“[…] Luisa Calderon and Thisbe […] lived through the foundational violence of colonialism which shaped not only the vulnerabilities that they had to negotiate in their time but those that women must still navigate today. And both women experienced terror at the hands of the same celebrated colonial icons: Governor …

“[…] Our pre-colonial ancestors never beat our children. You are not supposed to use violence against those weaker than you.  “We learned that crap from our enslavers and colonial masters, with their bullying, might is right culture. Ever since, we have been rearing bullies and their victims.  “We teach so …

‘The things that happen to people we will never really know. What happens in houses behind closed doors, what secrets’ —  Lee Harper, To Kill a Mockingbird.  This quote came back to life this week as we tried to digest the horrors of domestic violence in our land.  We attempt …

Fo’daymorning. There are three of them, walking side-by-side. From 30 or 40 yards away as I stride southwards along my street, I see them going west towards the park. I pay no particular attention. My mind is far. Moments before leaving home at 5.30am, I saw an overnight WhatsApp question: …

“[…] The Heights of Aripo has long been used by criminals to dispose of bodies and evidence. In a bid to turn their neighbourhood into an unsafe haven for the criminals, the poor, frightened residents are requesting assistance and basic amenities. Nothing fancy, just streetlights, a police post and, maybe, …

The news was blunt but not unexpected. The lead sentences (Express, 9 December 2021) calmly reported, ‘Shadie Dassrath was beaten to death in an apartment in La Romaine last Friday morning. An autopsy done on the body of the 31-year woman found she died of blunt force trauma and sustained …

Nobody goes on a second date if, on the first one, they got slapped around. The woman (it is more often a woman) does not realise that they are in an abusive relationship until it is late.  The abuser sets the honey trap, seducing the unsuspecting victim into believing that …

How does one step back from the bold misogynistic claim of being ‘The Man’s Beer’? Do you flip the script and position yourself as being anti-violence against women?   Do you attempt to engage womenfolk and position yourself as our protector by communicating repeated images of male power and strength smashing glasses …

Womantra and 2Cents movement have both survived firestorms of social media criticism that they allegedly mishandled accusations of either sexual harassment, gender-based violence or sexual grooming perpetrated by persons in positions of leadership. Ironically, both organisations are engaged in much-needed work that can fundamentally change our cultural landscape, but they …

“[…] Demand, by collective action, radical, positive, permanent change. And that change is not just around gender-based violence, but in every community and institution in the land, be it the legal, political or social system … “[…] Who must decide what is progress and the sustainable road to such? I …

‘The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.’ — John Philpot Curran (1790). As a nation, we are sliding into a place of great sadness. The economy’s growth engines are shutting down, and there is a collapse of law and order. Daily, it becomes more …