Hello there! How was your week? Mine was a bit busy but nevertheless quite alright. This week I’ll be talking about a very critical problem in our Guyanese society- Domestic Violence. 

Domestic violence is basically the violent or aggressive behaviour within the home, typically involving the violent abuse of a spouse or partner. However, in Guyana it is primarily done against women and children rather than men. Domestic violence is a very big crime-punishable by law.
Domestic violence, in my opinion, is not only the fault of those administering it but it is also the fault of those who standby and do nothing and those who choose to endure it. While I fully understand that so much fear is instilled in a person by the abuser that they are always afraid of speaking out and also they may be scared of what society thinks of them. In addition, it is our Guyanese mentality that women or children have to be ‘kept in line,’ so I blame the frequency and gravity of this issue on our olden ideologies.
While I understand that sometimes the abuse meted out is a result of provocative behaviour, abusing another person is not the answer to your situation. The only thing abusing another person would do for you is to give you the satisfaction of being able to hurt someone.
Domestic Violence is a very selfish act and proves that the abuser has absolutely no respect for the person they abuse and their humanitarian rights.
Too often in the newspapers, on television, on the radio and other forms of media we hear about domestic violence.
The innocence and happiness of too any unprotected people are taken away. This is time enough that we speak out. Domestic violence rarely is something that happens once or twice, it happens continuously. There are people out there, perfectly capable of protecting you and getting justice for you. The only problem with this is that we need people to speak out-you cannot receive help unless you ask for it, like they say, ‘God helps those who help themselves.’
That’s all for this week, I hope you enjoyed this piece and do remember to SPEAK OUT and let’s collectively end this problem in our society.
Quote for the week: (by Unknown)
“Abuse is like a seed that is sown; once it is planted.”

(By Vishani Ragobeer)