–as Human Services and Social Security Ministry launches advocate network

PRIME Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, was among several high-ranking government officials and members of the Diplomatic Corps, as well as the religious leaders and members of civil society, who pledged to play a greater role in ending domestic violence in Guyana.

Prime Minister Phillips led the charge in signing a pledge to always stand up and speak out against domestic violence, thereby signalling their support for the Community Activism Network (CAN) initiative which was launched by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security in the compound of the Parliament building, on Wednesday.

“Violence against women and girls has no place in the 21st century and no place in a developing Guyana. I take this opportunity to add my voice against violence against women and girls in our society,” the Prime Minister said.

This initiative, seen as Guyana’s newest measure in the fight against domestic violence, was launched in celebration of the ‘16 Days of Activism’ to eliminate violence against women and girls.

Opened for members of the public to join, CAN will see residents on the ground within communities across the country signing up to work alongside welfare and probation officers in helping to identify and deal with domestic violence situations as they arise within communities.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, who spearheaded this initiative, hailed the signing of the pledge and the launch of “CAN” as a historic moment in the country’s fight against domestic violence.

“Today is a very symbolic day indeed, a historic day. It’s a day when we harness the energy, passion, commitment, voices and hands of all of you who will sign onto this important initiative called CAN. When we say CAN it solidifies our dedication and commitment to a cause that existed before all of us,” Minister, Dr. Vindhya noted, as she delivered remarks at the event.

The pledge calls for persons to commit to listening to persons experiencing domestic violence, to break the violence, to educate and share resources, take informed action and support victims of domestic violence.

“This is a social issue that cannot be ignored anymore in any way. It’s not a pledge to sign on to, it’s an action-oriented pledge where we work on prevention, intervention and have the kind of infrastructure that exists that extends beyond the formal infrastructure in our country,” Dr. Persaud said.

In Guyana, according to United Nations (UN) statistics, one in every two women between the ages of 16 and 64 years have experienced such violence at least once in their lifetime, accounting for some 55 per cent of all Guyanese women.

“The world still remains a dark and dangerous place for our girls. We need to ensure families offer protective structures,” Dr. Persaud said.
She also highlighted the need for everyone to get involved in the fight against rooting out domestic violence incidents, and holding the perpetrators accountable for their actions.

“We need to not be blind, not be dismissive, we need to hear the repeated cries for help, look beyond the physical and understand emotional scars. We need to hold people accountable. That is why this network is so important,” Dr. Persaud related.

Among those signing the pledge included US Ambassador, Sarah Ann-Lynch; British High Commissioner, Jane Miller; Canadian High Commissioner, Mark Berman; European Union Ambassador to Guyana, Dr. Fernando Ponz Cantó and a representative from the United Nations.

Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, and Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag, were also present at the event to take the important pledges.

Members of the public are also encouraged to go online and sign the “I CAN” pledge to join the fight against domestic violence.