VIOLENCE against children, the most vulnerable in our society, is not uncommon or unfamiliar. There are numerous by-the-way stories, or stories whispered because speaking up and speaking up loudly are sometimes difficult and even seemingly impossible. But we cannot kid ourselves into believing that violence isn’t perpetuated against our most vulnerable. And we cannot ignore the responsibility we all have to pick away at issues until they decay and disappear continuously.

Violence against children, in particular, is a worldwide problem; it isn’t unique to Guyana. Still, that doesn’t give us a free pass in any way. Guyana isn’t a utopia where bad things don’t happen. It isn’t unpatriotic to accept this reality. If anything, we can easily and honestly agree that the country is a work in progress. And as we pride ourselves on being the world’s fastest-growing economy and boast about seemingly inevitable transformation, Guyana’s development can’t only be linked to towering buildings and widening roads. It must also be linked to fixing some of our systemic issues. Systemic issues like violence against vulnerable people- women and children. Systemic issues like the inequalities that exist and that contribute to unequal power relations and people’s ability to live happy lives.

It is worth appreciating that violence just doesn’t happen because an individual drinks rum and loses proper judgement. Inequalities don’t exist because people are just crazy, abnormal, or lazy. Or that people ‘are asking for it.’ These things happen because we inherited exploitative systems and haven’t yet dismantled these. It happens because a little bit of power can easily go unchecked, and it happens because we quickly forget our collective outrage until the next tragedy occurs. These bad things also happen because we don’t appreciate how interconnected and overlapping issues are (and that they require intersectional solutions). These words sound fancy, but they all boil down to one common sentiment: we aren’t necessarily doing a perfect or faultless job at correcting age-old, recurring problems.

As I got into writing this column this week, I thought it best to read up on studies done and the work of other columnists. Based on my reading so far, there are some research gaps specific to child violence. Nevertheless, there are some essential things to think about.

A 2019 United Nations (UN) report on Guyana women’s health and life experiences pointed out that enduring patriarchal norms (which emphasise that men and boys have a higher social status than women and girls) are the “primary driver” of violence meted out against women and girls. These can be viewed as among the root causes of violence. And this results in the policing and exploitation of their bodies by male counterparts, inhibiting their autonomy and, generally, potentially exposing them to abuse. Therefore, addressing social and cultural norms perpetuating harmful practices is important. That could include community engagements and education.

I think another relevant point, especially now, is strengthening and depoliticising institutions involved in protecting children and other vulnerable groups. Those institutions include support bodies and investigative organs. It is no secret that public trust in many local institutions decays occasionally; social media comments are an easy way to confirm this. So restoring faith in our institutions and equipping those to work as they should must be considered imperative. Strengthening these institutions also means improving laws. Where satisfactory laws exist, the institutions must be empowered to do their work. The two go hand in hand, and the system of separating the powers that be was instituted to guarantee that all avenues for support and, if needed, redress, work properly.

Of course, more research is always useful, as is greater awareness. But maybe this time around, we would be better off if we focused a bit extra attention on dismantling harmful root causes of our issues and on beefing up the bodies and systems we already have in place so that they can work more meaningfully.

If you would like to discuss this column or any of my previous writings, please feel free to contact me via email: vish14ragobeer@gmail.com