A RECENT research conducted on domestic violence in Guyana shows that more men are seeking protection orders from other men and their ex-lovers. But the study also found that although more male victims are now speaking out, there are still misconceptions about the scourge, one of which is that women remain the highest number of victims.

These and more revelations were brought to light by the NGO, Red Thread, which collaborated with the US State Department in funding the two-year research. The findings of the project, entitled ‘Engaging Communities for Improved Implementation of Domestic Violence Laws’, were revealed on Friday during a discussion at the University of Guyana (UG)’s Education Lecture Theatre.

According to the study, from 2012 to 2017, women accounted for 14.3 per cent, 21.9 per cent, 23.5 per cent, 19.5 per cent, 7 per cent and 20 per cent respectively of murder victims in Guyana, most of which were domestic violence cases. With this in mind, the project was intended to inspire a systematic approach to addressing domestic violence, and sought to answer why, in spite of laws to protect people from harm, there are few positive results.

It also examined how cultural norms and practices intercept laws which lead, in some cases, to domestic violence becoming ‘understandable’.
The project engaged the residents of five communities, namely: Bartica, in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni; Plaisance/Better Hope on the East Coast; Lethem, in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo; Anna Regina on the Essequibo Coast; and La Parfaite Harmonie on the West Bank Demerara.

Giving the reason for choosing the foregoing communities, Red Thread Coordinator, Karen de Souza told the Guyana Chronicle:
“Partly, some of them we had not done any work in. Some of them we knew that there were some real problems, and since we had the funding, it enabled us to do some work in the far-flung areas: Lethem and Bartica, where it’s very difficult because of the cost of getting there, and the cost of accommodation.”

For additional information, data was gathered from legal aid files, dating from 1997 to present; police domestic violence records; and data from the court registry. Some of the findings analysed data on protection orders which are granted by the court, and can protect persons from domestic violence, harassment, and stalking among other purposes.
While the findings show that the majority of applicants for protection orders are women, there has been a recent rise in the number of application orders coming from men.

Those from men were made against other men such as sons, brothers and nephews, as well as against women such as wives and ex-girlfriends. Speaking on what may have resulted in this recent rise, Project Researcher, Dr. Jewel Thomas said: “In some instances perhaps, they were being abused in the relationship for many years but never reported it because of stigma; or it could be that it is a new condition. But one can only know by studying the details of the case.”

MEN ARE BEING ABUSED
But de Souza has her own take on the matter: “I attribute it to two things: One, that increasingly, men who are being abused are getting the support to come forward and seek protection from the law. I also attribute it to perpetrators who run to the police station with a report before the woman can get to the station to make a report.”

When it comes to acquiring protective orders, the research indicates that they are granted relatively quickly, with 72 per cent receiving orders within a month of which husbands and wives, both married and common-law are more frequently making these requests.
In 2017, 92 per cent of applicants reported some sort of emotional or psychological abuse, including name calling, cursing, and destruction of property for their request, while 44 per cent say they were threatened.

However, when it comes to the issuing of orders, the findings show that cases where lawyers were involved tended to take a longer time to have orders issued due to the preparations of several affidavits and adjournment requests.

STILL RELUCTANCE
Dr. Thomas laments that even in cases where there are opportunities for domestic violence victims to formally report on their abuse, the research proved that many are still reluctant to do so. “What you will have in domestic violence cases is that there will be reluctance to taking the matter into a formal arena. Persons are reluctant to make a statement to the police and then take the matter to the courts,” she said, further adding that this can be problematic for the police.

As such, she stated that the police force needs the necessary training to ensure they can deal with the situations of victims hesitating to report on domestic violence which can become frustrating at times.

Thomas also says that many persons still believe that domestic violence is a private matter referring to it as “husband and wife story” when indeed it requires joint efforts to address. Other recommendations coming out of the research were for additional training of the police on the enforcement of the Domestic Violence Act (1996) and the handling of a breach of a protection order.

The need for probation officers to be trained in counselling and for special counselling on to be provided for staff who constantly engage in cases of domestic violence was also highlighted. This research project began in 2016 and was implemented by the Red Thread which the US State Department regards as a “true grass root organization” which has advocated well for the rights of women and children in Guyana.