In yesterday’s edition of the Chronicle, we published a news report which described a horrible tale of forced cohabitation of a young woman with an abusive man – for material things, by a mother.

At only age twenty-five Tracey Culley is already a mother of three children, aged four years, 18 months and six months, borne within a four-year period of living with a spouse twelve years older than she is.

One baby is overwhelming sometimes; but three? Although Tracey claims she only knows four years of abuse by her children’s father, yet she is reluctant to leave, and one of the main reasons she cites for her remaining in such a relationship that is potentially dangerous to her life is, as related, “Questioned intensely about her mother’s decision to encourage her daughter to stay in a relationship which is abusive and which has the potential to have her killed, Tracy related that her mother was among several other family members who encouraged her to stay in the abusive relationship since they benefit materially from the abuser.”

Tracey poignantly asserts “When you have loving parents, you could go back to your mother’s house; if your parents are not loving, you cannot go back.”

And therein is the crux of the dilemma of most victims, lack of loving parents – with most times the parents and guardians themselves being the abusers; and lack of societal support and infrastructural wherewithal.

Recently the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha opened its doors to abused children and vulnerable women; with shelter and care provided to the children and skills training offered to the women. However, skills need time to be developed and most mothers prefer to keep their children with them. In such instances, institutionalised care is not the answer.

As was reported in this newspaper, Odessa Seenanan of Diamond, who was severely abused by her spouse and had to run from her home in fear for her life, received no help or protection from her husband. Instead police ranks reportedly joined with her husband to victimise her and make her homeless.

Where then, and to whom should helpless and vulnerable women and children seek and appeal for sanctuary and shelter from their abusers?

Suicides are on the increase, and so are spousal murders; and until and unless there are concrete solutions to these devastating societal ills, and greater protection offered to the vulnerable in society, there will continue to be Staceys, and Odessas and incestuous rapes, among the plethora of abuses plaguing this nation.

The Chronicle report stated: “…when she (Stacey) was being abused by the father of her children, the 18-month-old child attempted to prevent her father from hitting her mother by blocking her mother from the punches and slaps that the father was dishing out in the house.” So babies are now doing what the police are mandated to, but often fail to do.