DOMESTIC violence against women and the heinous crime of rape — including of children — have emerged as an epidemic in too many member states of our Caribbean Community (CARICOM) with Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados  reportedly being  worse examples of such criminality.

Leaders and ministers of government are always around with their rhetorical denunciations and pledges to expedite actions to deal more effectively with these degrading crimes.
Alas! however, there is yet to be any new and creative strategy, at national and regional levels, to effectively combat the scourge of domestic violence against women and the rape of teenage and even younger children  in homes; on their way to or from school; or just anywhere the depraved among us choose to commit their dastardly crime.
Perhaps our two women Prime Ministers of CARICOM — Jamaica’s Portia Simpson-Miller and  Trinidad and Tobago’s Kamla Persad-Bissessar — should consider jointly hosting  a special brainstorming forum  with relevant cabinet colleagues, for example Attorneys-General and ministers responsible for women’s affairs and social services; education and, of course, police services, to come forward with ideas on new initiatives for collective, national/regional assaults to combat domestic violence and rape.
Such a forum could result in a critical review of the relevance and effectiveness of existing laws in dealing with domestic violence against women and also on rape.

Barbados scenario
I have been motivated to write this analysis following a development in Barbados last week when the local media reported the country’s Attorney- General, Adriel Brathwaite, as pledging to enact new legislation soon to combat the scourge of domestic violence.
Well, without questioning the honesty of Attorney-General Brathwaite’s assurance,  I regret having to distressingly learn about  such official assurances, far too often,  in not just Barbados, but other jurisdictions of our Caribbean Community—Jamaica among them.
I am, therefore, left to wonder whether the Barbados Attorney-General’s pledge was really motivated by the  latest spirited intervention of Marilyn Rice-Bowen, President of the National Organisation of  Women (NOW).
The painful truth is that from Jamaica, in the northern sub-region, to Trinidad and Tobago,  Guyana and Suriname in the south, and across the eastern Caribbean, too many women, among them old and young mothers,  are victims of degrading violence, some dying at times in the presence of helpless children and other family members.
Then, as part of routine media reports, we receive, post facto, police accounts of the circumstances, and at times while the body of the victims criminal domestic violence are being taken to a hospital morgue or funeral home.

Focus on Police
It is particularly distressing, to judge from recent media reports out of Trinidad  and  Tobago, Guyana and Jamaica, with which I am more familiar, that some of the mothers, as well as teenage and even younger children killed in cases relating to domestic violence could well have been avoided,  had the police been more vigilant and COMMITTED in fulfilling their official duties to act  with efficiency and integrity, consistent with the oath they solemnly take when joining the ranks of a Police Force.
It is also of relevance to note, unpleasant as it is to  report, that since some ranks of the Region’s police services are THEMSELVES often accused of committing domestic violence, against both unemployed and bread-winning wives and mothers, as well as so afflicting their teenage and younger children, it could be quite challenging for such cops to move with required efficiency and integrity to deal, as professionally required, with recurring cases of domestic brutalities.
For the so-called ‘doubting Thomases’ in our midst — in and out of police services –about such unprofessional behaviour by those sworn to uphold the rule of law, questions could perhaps be directed to women  Cabinet ministers of governments within CARICOM, who have portfolio responsibilities  for “women’s affairs” and social services.
It may also be useful to learn what new policies/initiatives are in place by national police services to deal  with crimes of domestic violence and rape, and whether such ideas have been shared sufficiently to help inform the thinking of heads of local police services who belong to the Association of  Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP).
So far as enactment of legislation to deal with domestic  violence is concerned, the head of EVERY government should give priority attention to ensue  that his/her respective Attorney- General, as well as Police Commissioner to sensitise all parliamentarians to the gravity of the problems with view to finally introducing new legislation to more effectively deal with the twin degrading crimes of rape and violence currently causing such daily trauma for far too many families across our Caribbean Community.