“[…] While we recognise the gains made with amendments to The Domestic Violence Act and the establishment of a Gender-based Violence Unit in the TTPS, the continuing scourge of violence against women and children requires a more aggressive and holistic approach from those in authority. “We are reminded that the …
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 »I was 17 when a man first threatened to rape me in Tacarigua: Letters on domestic violence in T&T
“I was 17 when I was first verbally accosted on the street. I was standing on the PBR at the Tacarigua intersection, when a man—probably in his 20s—who I had seen at the corner before, approached me. “He began: ‘Next time yuh come ’round here looking so sweet…’ Or maybe …
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