RECENTLY President Bharrat Jagdeo launched at the National Culture Centre “Domestic Violence 101”, a $15 million training programme structured primarily for faith-based leaders, which will be conducted at five locations, i.e: Georgetown in Region four; Linden in Region Ten (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice); Uitvlugt in Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara; Fort Wellington in Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice); and Albion in Region Six East Berbice Corentyne).  All the sessions were held from October 25-29, with the primary objective of capacity-building within communities of leadership with skills for the facilitation of interventions and programmes that will holistically address social concerns, with a view to eradicating violence in general, and domestic violence in particular within the wider society.
President Jagdeo has said that, although Guyana has passed some of the most advanced legislation in the world to deal with domestic violence, the scourge of abuse still ravages our families and the wider society and that the requisite training and sensitization on the issue are also necessary. According to the President, this deficiency needs to be corrected and acknowledged that the best partner in doing this is the religious community, whom he says are “in the frontlines.”
Local facilitator and Chairman of the proceedings, Reverend Kwame Gilbert, said in opening remarks that domestic violence has become a national crisis and, as expected, the Government has responded to this crisis by inviting religious communities to enter into a partnership for the eradication of this ill in society. He urged his fellow religious leaders to continue to work for the preservation of virtue and morality in the society, and the respect for humanity and life.
Dr. Cecil Mercurious, New-York based facilitator of the training programme, reminded President Jagdeo of “the dialectical moment in a solemn political, socio-religious revolution that you, Your Excellency started in December 2004, almost six years ago, when Your Excellency met with the Guyanese Overseas Faith-based Religious Leaders in New-York.”
Dr. Mercurious said that at that meeting President Jagdeo outlined his initiative for addressing social issues in Guyana and requested the involvement and participation of the Guyana Overseas Religious Leaders and community to assist and partner with Government in nation-building and national development, a concept which the President expanded, according to Dr. Mercurious, when he addressed the National Crime-Prevention Conference, where he renewed his call for the religious community in Guyana to become involved in national crime-fighting efforts.
At that forum, Dr. Mercurious recalled, President Jagdeo had challenged religious leaders by posing the question: “How many pastors, pandits or imams go to the homes of families, seek the children who need their support and let their congregations work with those children – the vulnerable ones?”   Dr. Mercurious said that the President did not stop there but provided the enabling mechanisms to support the initiative.
Referring to the conference and the training programme on domestic abuse, Dr. Mercurious lauded President Jagdeo and described the programme as a direct result of the President’s initiative of partnering with faith-based religious leaders in nation-building, national development, and national security, initiatives that formed the philosophical, ideological framework, and guidelines for the training programme, according to Dr. Mercurious,
Stressing the significance of this vision of the President’s materializing almost six years after he first mooted it, Dr. Mercurious informed the audience that, at the initial meeting President Jagdeo had expressed his concern at the rapid decline of the moral and ethical values in the Guyanese society and suggested ways by which the Guyanese overseas faith-based religious leaders could assist in curbing this antisocial, deviant trend in the society that is inhibiting the Government from achieving optimum targets in its development goals, specifically stating that the overseas-based organisation, with its experience and expertise in these areas would be able to assist, advise, and work along with local religious leaders to make a contribution, especially in the social sector. Dr. Mercurious said that this reality is what Guyanese are celebrating during these training and related activities, which he acknowledged are due to the President’s vision and endeavours, and facilitation.
Dr. Mercurious informed the audience that on 23rd April 2010 he suggested to the President that the training programme be held and President readily initiated arrangements, which fructified in the current activities, which were specifically created by Dr. Mercurious at President Jagdeo’s request to sensitize religious leaders “regarding their role and responsibilities in addressing domestic violence within and throughout all the communities in Guyana”; and also to address the contributing factors to this scourge, as well as to violence in the wider society.  According to Dr. Mercurious, the President tasked him to design a multi-faceted, broad-based approach to deal with these burning issues.
Reiterating President’s call for all stakeholders to work together for the common good of the society, Dr. Mercurious forecasted this eventuality could result in a 40% drop in domestic violence cases within six months.
In his feature address President Jagdeo urged a holistic approach by all stakeholders, especially religious leaders of faith-based organisations, to ensure a continuum of activities programmed to address social ills in communities and encouraged religious leaders to reach across the barriers of religious denominations/organisations to provide help wherever it is needed, especially to vulnerable women and children.  He stressed the need for the precipitators of violence to be identified and dealt with so that young persons at the crossroads of life, where they make life-changing decisions, could be guided to better options where they make the right choices.
In his introduction Rev. Kwame Gilbert  noted that Dr. Cecil Mercurious has many years of experience in community and human development, having begun his work in this field  in Guyana, which he continues in the USA, with his “competent and serious team of men and women” hailing from various faiths, including the Hindu, Christian and Moslem communities.
Dr. Mercurious’ address was preceded by prayers said by priests of the three main faiths in Guyana, followed by beautiful renditions of patriotic songs; “My Guyana El Dorado” and “My Native land”, superbly sung by the Circle of Love.