THIS year’s theme for International Women’s day ‘A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women’ must resonate in Guyana, given the numerous high profile gruesome cases of domestic violence leading to death and disfigurement of Guyanese women that continue to make regular headlines in the nation’s media. For every case that makes public headlines, there are countless nameless and faceless women victims of abuse in our society and the culture of violence that this highlights must be rejected by all. Women are the bedrock of society. They are the traditional vessels of reproduction, nurturing and caring for the family, preparing the next generation to meet the challenges of a world in constant motion. This traditional role is in a mode of continuous expansion seeking to equalise the potential of women in every sphere of life. Women continue to surpass and break down boundaries of gender discrimination. Their capacities to perform and even out produce men in many areas where there are equal opportunities are well known and chronicled. Without a doubt, women have proven themselves equally capable and integral for societal stability and progress. Women are human beings with Rights.

These rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) recognises “inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” The Constitution of Guyana enshrines the Rights of Guyanese women. This Constitution must be protected from those who at the slightest whim seek to tamper with and violate it. This Constitution must be protected and those who violate it must be held accountable for the violation of women. The violence against women in Guyana is not only domestic, it is social, it is economic, it is political.
  As defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation.”
Guyanese women can identify with this widely encompassing definition of violence and in tandem with the 2013 Women’s theme, ‘A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women’.
It is time to end the violence that contributes to maldevelopment and deprivation of women, starting with enshrining their constitutional rights to the minimum of at least one-third on the Electoral List of Representation and in the National Assembly. It is time to end the violence of maldevelopment and deprivation that has diminished women’s role at national decision-making fora. It is time for national leaders to set the example of promoting women’s rights and dignity and to be held accountable for such failures. No longer must we have any leader violating our women and using them to play a hoax on this nation. These are women who by their association within the corridors of power have the means to make a difference and they must be respected and be allowed roles as models in the lives of our women and young girls. They must be allowed to emerge from the shadows and given opportunities to advance the cause of less fortunate women.

The violence of suicide is a self directed act of violence stemming from the individuals inability to cope effectively with pressures. These are acts of violence that stem from societal failure to recognise and treat with the pressures creating the conditions for suicide. It is a reflection of societal failure of the family when young women and girls see suicide as their best option. Our leaders cannot be absolved from the rate of suicide among Guyanese women and girls, for it is the nation’s responsibility to recognise this phenomenon and to address it at its very root, using every means, including education, medical intervention and economic relief, where necessary. Suicide is a symptom of a disease in our social fabric and our women and young girls have been the main victims.

The eyes of the world were recently turned to the most heinous of crime involving serial gang rape of women in India and across the borders to the life-threatening experience of young Pakistani girl, shot in the head by the hands of those who believe women have no right to self determination or learning. Malala Yousafzai, as she recovered, vowed “never to be subdued.” These are lessons that we must learn from, to recognise that gender equality and the rights of women, girls and the human family must be fiercely protected and spread throughout every facet of women’s experience.