I must commend the Minister of Human Services, Ms. Priya Manickchand, for spearheading the recently aired discussion on violence against women aired on several television channels live, last Sunday.
The programme provided valuable information on what help is available to victims and how and why they should access it. The testimony of one survivor of domestic violence in particular, served to encourage other women to come forward and speak out against abuse.

It is heartening to see that politicians from across the political spectrum, religious leaders and NGOs can all actually agree on something and join forces to confront it. With this level and quality of involvement and commitment, I am confident that Guyana is heading in the right direction in its fight against domestic violence, violence against women and children, and sexual offences.
The human services ministry, it was disclosed, also has a long-term plan in place to continue educating the public and to garner their support and involvement in this fight. This is especially important in light of the new Sexual Offences Legislation, which outlines new and more stringent penalties for offenders. The public therefore need to understand the new law and how it protects them.
Let us all join forces with Minister Manickchand to ensure that there will be no more battered women and Neesa Gopauls.