Dear Editor,
HELP & Shelter condemns the video disseminated by Member of Parliament, Mr. Sherod Duncan, and calls for its immediate removal, investigation and sanction of Mr. Sherod Duncan for choosing to disseminate material which is distasteful, verbally insulting, demeaning and disrespectful not only to the Minister of Education but to all women of Guyana.

We also call on APNU+AFC to take immediate action to also sanction this sitting Member of Parliament. We further call on the National Assembly and Parliament of Guyana to ensure a comprehensive code of conduct is disseminated to each and every parliamentarian with appropriate sanctions for breaches of such a code without fear or favour in and out of Parliament.

As all of us should know, Guyana has one of the highest levels of domestic violence globally, a crime and human rights violation which is rooted in gender inequality, the subordination of women, discrimination and norms and practices detrimental to the advancement of women’s rights, dignity and status.

Help & Shelter would like parliamentarians of all genders, persons in positions of authority and decision makers to understand that such behaviour is unacceptable and reflects how far Guyana still has to go towards the full emancipation and respect of women of every ethnicity in Guyana.

Best regards,
Danuta Radzik
Josephine Whitehead
Pamela Nauth
for Help & Shelter