In 2014, Brij V Lal, an Indo-Fijian historian, at a Fiji Day of Remembrance said: “One of my life’s ambitions has been to remember what others have forgotten or chosen to forget—to give our people a voice and a modicum of humanity, to give them a place at the table …
Read More »Spotting red flags and creating healthy relationships in a cutass, misogynistic, mentally ill culture
“[…] The first and most important red flag test a woman can give a man is to tell him ‘no’, especially when he really wants to do something involving your time, body, reputation, property or livelihood. “His request does not just have to be sexual. It can be anything. If …
Read More »CRFP: T&T’s battle against gender-based violence should recognise its colonial roots
“[…] 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 …
Read More »The problem with ‘choosing your men wisely’ in T&T’s cutass, misogynistic, mentally ill culture
“[…] 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 …
Read More »Noble: ‘Good guys’ and closed doors—how abusers operate
‘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 …
Read More »Hero CPL makes Valentine’s Day donation to The Shelter, to assist domestic violence victims
The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has offered a Valentine’s Day gift to women and children who have suffered domestic violence by way of a TT$135,000 (US$20,000) donation to The Shelter, a Trinidad and Tobago-based non-profit NGO. The Shelter, also known as the Shelter for Battered Women and Children, was …
Read More »Live Wire: US police, not Lifetime, picks up alleged murder plot from Guardian columnist, Hadeed
Trinidad Express editorial writer: I’m so bad-arse that despite criticism from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Chinese embassy, Sinopharm Beijing and thousands of readers over a ‘scientific experiment’ so weak that any five-year-old familiar with the works of Dr Heinz Doofenshmirtz would roll their eyes, I just wrote …
Read More »Noble: ‘She made me do it’—T&T society is taught to distrust women; we see the bloody results
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 …
Read More »The Art of Rebellion: ‘A parody of the plight of single mothers’—the story of Baby Doll mas
“[…] Activist Amanda McIntyre believes that the original portrayals of the Baby Doll were a parody of the plight of single mothers and, generally, women—a stark demonstration of how they frequently bear the blame and responsibility ‘for something that is normal and natural: sex and sexuality’. “[…] McIntyre situated her …
Read More »The Art of Rebellion: How Baby Doll was Carnival’s first masquerader for feminist social justice
“[…] Delicate pink or white lace accentuates the dress. Gossamer veils cascade from oversized hats or bonnets tied beneath the chin by a silky ribbon. Supple white gloves, a veil or mask, sheer stockings, and, on the feet, tightly laced Mary Janes—if you own a pair. A doll with rosebud …
Read More »Noble: Impossible demands of men and condoned cruelty against women—domestic violence’s toxic mix
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 …
Read More »Domestic violence: When little boys ask big questions
“[…] How do I explain to my son that he lives in a world where the home is considered the most dangerous place for women, with the majority of female homicide victims worldwide being killed by partners or family? “[…] If we are to end violence against women, we must …
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