-with march, rally today from Brickdam

LOCAL Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), RISE, is concerned about the wanton loss of life due to intimate partner violence, and is about to do something about it.
The NGO intends to register its concern officially and have its voice heard today during a march and rally that will commence at 14:00hrs on Brickdam next to DEMICO House.
RISE is calling on persons to join them in their fight against domestic violence, since the issue is complex.

“We recognise that domestic violence is a complex one, and would need a raft of approaches to reduce and eliminate its occurrence,” said RISE in a press statement on Saturday.

Although a lot is being done to combat the problem, they said recent events have highlighted the need to review the current approach towards improving the fight against the social ill.

Since the year started, there have been over five reported cases of domestic violence and violence against women. In some instances, the women were killed or badly beaten by their spouses.

Back in January, a man from Baramita, in Region One (Barima-Waini), allegedly beat his wife so badly, that she died. A few months later, a minibus driver was held for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, and in one of the most recent cases, a special assistant to the Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) lost it and gunned down his reputed wife on a street.

Last year, First Lady Mrs Sandra Granger had said that the incidence of domestic violence by an intimate or previous intimate partner had increased from 74.8 per cent in 2011 to 89 per cent in 2017, with females accounting for upward of 80 per cent of the victims.
RISE believes that the root cause of domestic violence has strong cultural links, and the inability of some to cope with emotional challenges, economic disenfranchisement and perceived peer pressure.

“Unless we confront these issues, we will continue to have this conversation every time we experience a spike of killings due to domestic disputes,” the NGO says.
They feel that men need to have real and honest conversations about their responses to emotional challenges, and that this must be facilitated by the community, churches, workplaces, sports organisations and the government.
“As a country, we must do all that is necessary to ensure that the wanton killing of our women ends. To this end, RISE would like to call on the relevant ministries and the police to bring their considerable resources to bear in addressing the root causes of this issue,” RISE said.

Ministries in particular have taken up the mantle to address the issue. One such initiative was the provision of a temporary assistance programme for the survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Manager of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit at the Ministry of Social Protection, Akilah Dorris, had explained that the programme goes beyond providing psycho-social support and shelter services for survivors and their dependants.
Dorris noted that the programme was designed to provide financial assistance and temporary accommodation to families affected by sexual and domestic violence.