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The following open letter is directed to Ralph Maraj and Darian Marcelle for alleged comments made towards women activists and feminists during “The Afternoon Drive” on I95.5 FM.
This letter was sent by: Jacquie Burgess, Merle Hodge, Dr Sheila Rampersad, Attillah Springer, Eintou Springer, Folade Mutota and Verna St Rose Greaves.
(Courtesy Facebook)
An open letter to the hosts of The Afternoon Drive on I95.5FM:
Gentlemen,
You really need to inform yourselves a little better before you wash your mouth on specific people or groups in our society, as you have done in this week beginning 15 February 2016.
You have been freely insulting the women who demonstrated to demand Mayor Tim Kee’s resignation, with your onslaught spreading to women activists in general/ the women’s movement/ feminists.
(As an aside, men who utter the word “feminist” as though they were cussing, or spitting out phlegm, are often those who harbour some insecurity about their manness.)
Your discourse betrays a great haziness about women’s activism in Trinidad and Tobago. As media practitioners speaking from an influential public platform, it is your responsibility to be informed before you speak.
(Courtesy Facebook)
Perhaps, though, it is easier to just grab on to the name of one visible activist—Hazel Brown—and constantly demonise her.
“Not a word from Hazel Brown,” says Mr Marcelle, referring to some issue he thinks she should be speaking out on.
You renting Hazel mouth? What obligation does she have to speak at your behest?
It is the most dotish thing to hear talk show hosts using up precious air time to foam at the mouth about who should be saying what on which issue, and cussing them for not doing so.
You gentlemen are accusing us of having no interest in domestic violence, because we haven’t organised any demonstration against the abuse suffered by Ms Rachael Sukhdeo.
You even want us to go and protest against the killing of Mr Clement in Moruga, as a “real issue” for us to tackle.
(Courtesy Mark Lyndersay)
The sentiments of Mr Ralph Maraj: The abuse of Rachael Sukhdeo is a “juicy case,” such an excellent opportunity for women’s rights activists; but these activists are not genuinely concerned about abused women.
Why don’t you women mount some kind of public awareness campaign about domestic violence? It’s not too late. You can still do it.
Well, Ralph Maraj, who died and put you in charge of our workplan and our modus operandi? How condescending, how presumptuous!
You don’t know who we are, what we do, or what we have done, but you want to tell us what the real issues for us are and what to do about them?
So we don’t have brains of our own?
(Courtesy Guardian.co.tt)
For your information, it is decades of public awareness work by women activists, impacting on people’s thinking as well as on public policy, that have led to the following:
- That you gentlemen in the studio have the consciousness that you do today about domestic violence and (hopefully) other gender issues. Don’t take it for granted, or assume that this consciousness has always been part of the society’s thinking.
- That there is legislation in place today about domestic violence.
- That training has been done among police officers to equip them for dealing with domestic violence.
- That shelters and counselling centres have been set up by NGOs, mostly through the activism of women, for people affected by family violence.
- That certain institutions have come into existence, such as the Rape Crisis Society; the Police Child Protection Unit; the Police Witness and Victim Support Unit; the Family Court; the UWI Institute for Gender and Development Studies; the Ministry of Gender and Child Development; and the Children’s Authority.
- That there now exists protection for children in the Children Act (2012); the Children’s Authority Act; the Children’s Community Residences, Foster Care and Nurseries Act; and the Adoption of Children (Amendment) Act.
- That any women at all are now emboldened to speak out about being abused and to seek help.
We work quietly. These are some of our strategies:
- We go all over the country and hold workshops and conversations with groups of people in their communities.
- We work through vigils, popular theatre, the media.
- We engage in lobbying and advocacy.
- We commemorate relevant UN days of observance, for example, International Women’s Day (March 8), and the Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25), involving, among other activities, a march through Port of Spain, with some men along the route telling us (like you) what we should be doing, e.g. “Why allyuh don’t go home and cook allyuh husband food.”
We don’t often make use of the street demonstration strategy, but when we find it necessary, we do. We, not you, will determine that.
You expect of us a street demonstration for each situation of domestic violence. Do you have any idea of the volume of such situations?
Please, let us decide for ourselves how we are going to use the energy and the minimal resources that we have. Don’t dictate to us.
You gentlemen want to give us instructions regarding what to do about domestic violence, but what are you doing about it?
Violence against women is not an issue for only women to act upon. The Rape Crisis Society, for example, has been trying to get more men to come in and be trained as volunteer counsellors to staff their hotline call centre.
(Courtesy Batchwilliams.com)
The men who have been working with Rape Crisis over the years are to be highly commended; but there is room for many more.
Tell us: what work have you done?
The women who demonstrated are seen by Mr Marcelle as having done it “to fulfil agendas of their own—political and other agendas.”
Well, Mr Marcelle, you have, indeed, done your darnedest to politicise the event, reducing it to a PNM-versus-the-enemy affair. Do you think we give a rat’s tail that Mr Tim Kee is PNM?
Do you think women would have failed to protest against what he said if he were UNC or of some other persuasion?
(Courtesy Farai Hove Masaisai/Facebook)
The “political agenda” accusation is an unfortunate, uninformed and insulting one, but predictable. What is harder to fathom is your impassioned cry: “Don’t let those people take us to Sodom and Gomorrah!”
Say what, Mr Marcelle?
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What r they doing… They are nauseating. Everybody who wants to see … know they have a political agenda.. Ughhhh! If they want help then tell them to make their FB page public!
These ladies have gone to a Bridge too far
Additionally some folks are conflating advocacy with direct service provision. There are entities that focus on advocacy but not on service provision in the traditional sense. And vice versa. Nothing unusual about that.
Exactly. Speaks more extensively to my point of groups and their stated goals.. good point
The difference between Asami’s case and the recent domestic violence may be that it is guaranteed that yearly several times/year a women’s group speaks about domestic violence issues. Thus, there was nothing necessarily new to urgently say on that specific incident. It does not however mean that the issue is not still live and of grave concern. But in Asami’s case a Mayor was asked to comment on the death of a female foreigner and somehow connected lewdness of women and alcohol consumption during Carnival time to her murder. That is not something we often hear. Thus, that may have been deemed comment and protest worthy.
Is Lent ….. no fete so feminism trending!
Who tell you it have no fete?
I assume since all dem chicks doh look like dey have nothing tuh do!
Them is not the ‘fettin chics’..lol
Vernal Damion Cadogan I taking a 5 minute break from doing a massive marketing campaign for a distillery. What YOU doing? Like you don’t know we can multitask?
Took me all of 10 seconds to type that.
My bad, my bad!
Vernal Damion Cadogan Just some friendly teasing 😉 Doh dig no horrors.
I know you are Jessica.
Yuh feel ah sensitive? LOL
Vernal Damion Cadogan Always good to meet people who can just banter and shoot the breeze and not get all emotional about it.
Jessica must let you know that I am an old timer who thoroughly enjoyed that banter with you and Vernon ……yes, lighten up sometimes, the jamming is heavy, but we need the humour. =D
I know the hypocrisy of these kinds of men because I was raised by one. On the surface and for religious appearances they like to talk this “Female must be submissive” thing and push all that regressive, misogynistic nonsense. Some even ill-treat their wives.
But when it come to their OWN daughters, they don’t want men treating them the way they and other men treat women. Make sure you get your education. Make sure you independent. Make sure you don’t need a man for anything. Own your own land and property. Don’t take any crap from any man. If any person try to call THEIR daughter a slut, they would defend her tooth and nail, regardless.
So believe me, they KNOW better. Is just a sociopathic, cognitive dissonance with them when it comes to their OWN male ego and THEIR relationships with women.
Are we going to see another demonstration asking for the radio talk show hosts to resign?
Whatever happened to our fundamental right to freedom of speech?
Serious conflation of issues. Of course the talk show hosts are free to spout whatever misogynistic nonsense they want.
Just as we are free to criticize it.
Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from criticism or consequences of your speech. I have no idea why people think that a massive outcry against what they have said means they’ve lost their right to say what they want to say.
A public official however, giving an official statement on a crime involving an international guest, and making totally inappropriate remarks that sparks international outrage, will come with consequences. That is just the way it is.
It appears that only Womantra has freedom of speech now.
I saw some of them with placards saying RAYMOND TIM KEE HATES WOMEN, DON’T TELL US HOW TO DRESS AND TIM KEE SAID ASAMI DIED BECAUSE SHE WAS VULGAR.
They had their say and distorted the facts but vex because other people have their own views on the issue now.
I am not Womantra, nor part of it.
Womantra is not the SUM of everything or all the women’s groups nor represent all the feminists who were outraged by this, so….
My point is, everyone has the right to respond to everyone’s free speech. It is a constant back and forth. Womantra were expressing their views. Tim Kee was expressing his. The radio hosts were expressing theirs. I am expressing mine. You are expressing yours.
Free speech for EVERYONE! However not free consequences. Public officials are held to different standards than activists and so are radio hosts.
Melina your logic is flawed. Do some research on the group, before you question their intent. I’m all for debate, but come with your facts nah
Where was Womantra when Dr. Rowley’s deceased mother and the mother of his son were publicly humiliated and brought into disrepute.
Where were they when all rape victims were shamed by Toppin?
They are demostrating to allow women the right to be vulgar on the road for carnival.
That’s all they are concerned about.
Are those enough facts for you Jeremy?
More important question: where were you?
Darian, ironically, just said ” we will not allow these people to set our standards for us.”
Yes, yesterday’s show was very vexatious…. Smh
WHY THE HELL THEY EN CALL ON SKAMLIAR WHEN SHE SAT AN ALLOW TOPPING TO THE PRESENT PM MOTHER , NOT FORGETTING ONE OF HER MINISTERS HAD A ACCOUNTANT PLACE IN ST ANNS AN ANOTHER ONE HIT A FEMALE IN ONE OF THE COUNTRIES MALLS CAR PARK ONE SIDED SCALE CARRIERS ARE THEY .
And people ask me why I don’t listen to talk radio.
Some does ask me why I don’t have a radio!
lol
LOL!
There are multiple groups involved. Some new, some not so new. Are folks saying that it matters whether a group started last week or ten years ago to highlight gender issues? Must a group protest based on their stated beliefs or the beliefs of others?? Not quite sure what the debate is?
People think calling someone a ‘feminist’ is an insult. LOL.
Judy Raymond challenged a SENIOR male member of Parliament (I won’t name names) who was insisting that female rape victims should be charged with obstruction of justice if they do not submit to a rape exam immediately after the rape (those who know what a rape exam is, it is very invasive). She tried to explain to the man that immediately after a rape a woman is often too traumatized to go through something like that and should not be penalized if she cannot do it. The senior male member of Parliament sneered, “You are one of those FEMINISTS? eh,” as if it were an insult.
Yes folks, we have Neanderthals in positions of power who are CLUELESS! Is like they have no wives, sisters and daughters.
They have nothing better to do with their lives.
Womantra has been in active existence for years in this country. They have been conducting seminars, mentoring programmes, senitisation workshops and other activities. They were active well before the Aria matter, but this Tim Kee issue has probably brought them the most headlines and attention thus far. As with any civil society group, they cannot be expected to cover an entire sector but given the attention their cause has been getting it can be expected that they would become more visible and active. As with children’s safety, HIV, disability and other important causes sometimes it takes a particular major case or controversy to bring an organisation to full national attention. As for the name calling against members of the group, I know Jackie Burgess working tirelessly in the field for decades and Merle Hodge is another for whom I have great respect. Those who don’t think the group is doing enough are free to join them or to start additional programmes or to advocate and act on a different approach. This is a diverse little country and there are hundreds of groups and NGOs simply trying in their own way to make a difference to issues that affect them. Even if we don’t agree with them we don’t have to scorn, denigrate or hate them.
Thank you Amery Browne. A breath of hope!
U didn’t talk Mr. Browne, u preach. I agree that there is need for more citizens to get informed, and get involved. Many of these women do their work without making the headlines.
You’re asking persons to be level minded, fair in discourse and with a statement to agree to disagree?? How dare you Dr. Browne~!
😉
“Even if we don’t agree with them we don’t have to scorn, denigrate or hate them.” Agreed Amery!
The tone of this letter and the comments by its supporters. Repulsive.
Marcella is part of the PNM cult and everything that comes out that radio station is tainted
Feminism does trend sporadically boy.
Like it eh have enough fete during lent!
Nah that’s going too far. Question motive and MO but the name calling isn’t necessary.
To hell with those witches
Because you didn’t hear of them doesn’t necessarily mean they didn’t make a sound. I’m not a group member and I cannot speak for them or their work plan.
But I’m just intrigued by the responses.
Where were these so called activists when Mrs. Alleyne-Toppin brought accusations of rape to parliament or when a certain mayor man handled his wife in a south shopping mall car park or when Mr Sharma allegedly put his hands on the woman or when Dr. Ramadharsingh inappropriately touched the air hostess should I go on or do we see that they picking and choosing what to protest for why haven’t they protest for that mother of two who was beaten by a prominent businessman come on people
They claim they’ve been silently working in the background, but to be honest I’ve NEVER heard of them or their work before. So why did Womantra then only choose to come out when the Aria issue arose? What made that scenario so important an issue that they needed to mount a protest? Weren’t other issues before it just as important? Or is it that it only resonated with them at that point?
If we want more to be done for gender issues, then why attack those who are doing something? Why not help them instead?
They deserve all they get as their DOING SOMETHING is very selective indeed.
Sarah-Ann Brand the perspective you have taken seems irrational …. how can ALL cases be considered when there are so many? It seems onky logical that these groups select those cases that would further their cause …. not so?
All these women who are protesting, where are there husbands?
There is a lot more to be done and a lot more that should be highlighted in gender issues. We all agree on that.
My question is: Why attack the only people who are actually doing anything?
Exactly. The only question worth asking
Ppl should just be free to express their views…even if we totally disagree…freedom of expression is a right that shouldn’t be trivialized…. Both sides of the argument need to just ignore what they disagree with
I cannot remember seeing Springer, Hazel making demands that Sharma go? The citizens did not to mention no body had a problem when Sat said it was a domestic affair.
We might have just forgotten what was said over issues like Chandresh Sharma, for instance.
I not on the Japanese issue but coming right after that issue they should have said something. All that they did they were quite when Kams was in power. I do not want to hear or see them.
so which one is it Joanne, which one do u believe is true? You said that they/we never said anything about other issues but then you just said a lot of people work discreetly. Some of the elder women that you have named have been working publicly and privately for several years. Also, just pause for a second and look, you say where were these young women when this and that was going on? BUT JUST LOOK! We are young women, many of us are in our twenties, where have we been? Some in school, some of us were simply growing up but now that we are ..we see how we can live in a society where vernella toppin can victim shame the alleged victims of a rape (both mother and child) and yet elder women in our society like JOANNE did/said nothing, we sat and watched public official after public official disrespect their office and citizenry especially women while elder women like you sat back for years; election after election and never DID ANYTHING. so its ok, we can bare it, we can be forced to grow up, we can try to stand for change in our society AND we WILL bare all the negative backlash and literal threats to safety while doing it. We will at least attempt the make changes to ALL those things that you saw yet did nothing, we will be both voice and beating horse, for you, for your daughters and for all of us.
I appreciate both sides of the argument, but when you have people like Christlyn Moore who was in no better position to address the abuse of women in our society while holding the positions of Senator and no less than Minister of Justice, suddenly clawing for a platform, i can see how people would be more than suspicious of motive here. That said, I am happy as a ‘civilized’ society we are having this conversation.
Time to leave the caves fellas.
But they listed a whole heap of things they did prior to Asami. Doesn’t that address the concern that they only care about Japanese pannists?
I have absolutely no problem for standing up for rights and being the voice of the voiceless. But it should be equal treatment for all issues. There have been glaring issues in the not so long past and they never once voiced a concern or protested. If you claim to be an advocate for women’s right, then your effort should be for all.
Peter, isn’t that like saying–if the police make a breakthrough in one case–what about this case or that case?
Is it practical that any group can respond to every single case?
No but not a peep. We say we have a 9 days mentality but like is now 9 hrs. A press release like the one they just send out.
Allyuh women men and men women allyuh wicked .
it has ever been thus, women divided…..
It’s pretty obvious this group only responds when someone says something to hurt their feelings or personal beliefs. When it comes to a very serious issue they are very silent. Hypocritical and convenient. Clearly they’re only in it when media exposure is guaranteed. And of course the media thinks it’s fun to facilitate them
They have been exposed as the biggest clowns in towns. These women are the clowns who do not need a suit. Even before Tim Key they all had laryngitis so I eh want to hear or see them.
Sheila Rampersad, Verna St. Rose etc ‘had laryngytis’? I posit instead madam that you have been both blind and deaf.
You know, at some point we have to acknowledge that ignorance is criminal.
ugh
I’m not one to take sides but this thing where if something happens a this group doesn’t protest it is bs to me ….clearly they can’t protest everything and everyone but the biggest hypocracy is these idiots who push this and they’re not doing a damn thing themselves …… they to me are bonafide clowns!!
There are alot of persons who do work quietly for disadvantage groups. Not because they do not announce does not mean nothing happening.
Preach
amen!
this is what I cannot take. Just because you don’t take a placard and go and protest for everything, doesn’t mean that work is not being done
Some people do it because they care others do it for publicity
Not “Merry ah word” bout Mrs Sukhdeo abuse but they can reply to pertinent questions by the public …..???
Not only radio hosts asking where are they because on the Red station ppl were calling n giving their views , asking questions and ripping apart the grp , so why address the radio hosts alone is ah bit perplexing ……
Why you change station of they tlking the truth ….???
They were asking where is the Feminists grp Womantra for the Central woman beating by here husband ? How come they have not venture down there to support the VICTIM and if that’s a bad question well well smh ….
I applaud you ladies 100%
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Tell them yes
but wait nah any of these women have reach out to sherons after all the battering she get or is it that she is of a lower class
They picked a battle, not everyone’s battles, they may or may not have reached out. The mayor was an ass for what he said, no apology is good enough. As for the Sheron issue; the police is on it.
Even ifthe police are on it,no support from this womantra group
All you who condemned the Mayor and talking about no apology good enough have no moral authority just like all those people who protest his removal!!!!
Worst things happened in this country that more than worthy of these people coming out and protest and what happened absolutely nothing!!!!
Lemme ask this though…how exactly does IGDS rationalise its press release today and the lack thereof for a bunch of other similar issues in recent years? Like seriously?
I had to change the station. It was “cringe worthy” radio. Expected a bit more from the hosts..
Support. Not dictate.
“Organise and talk to women and get evidence to give to the police” is one of the suggestions which was given by a caller. In response to a call by all 3 fellas (not gentlemen) for these women’s groups to do something. As if evidence submitted by vigilantes is somehow admissible in court. Or perhaps they should have protested outside the police station to compel the officers to make an arrest without evidence?
I expect nothing better from you as just like themselves the real issue is not GENDER ISSUES. Ask one of them if they KNOW where a safe house is in T&T for battered wives/husbands. I dare you to ask them. They will all blame the government for doing nothing but they themselves has done NOTHING to force the government to do anything . LIKE PROTESTING. STEUPS
Hi! First, thanks for the response: I enjoy talking about issues pertaining to our country. I deeply regret that I have done something to cause you to have low expectations of me. I hope to at least meet even these diminished expectations. Now I don’t recall anyone blaming the government. But even if someone was, surely the fact that both the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the party agreed that Tim kee should go would change that from “blaming” to “agreeing with” no? If I’m wrong, then I’m sorry that I let you down Sarah.
See this is why u have to act like u don’t support what comes from your mouth
Or hand
I have but one Like to give.