DECLARING that Guyana needs to create a culture of intolerance against violence, especially against women and children, the government has pledged tougher enforcement and greater police accountability as part of a comprehensive plan to clamp down on sexual and domestic violence.

Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo during a Monday afternoon radio programme, said that laws are not enough to tackle these pertinent issues of violence, but the police should do more.
The Vice-President said, “I’ve seen many cases where the police don’t pay enough attention to the matter. They don’t take it seriously and we need to have greater police accountability.”
There will be expanded support to deal with violence, as the Vice-President said that everyone will be on board, including non-governmental and religious organisations.
Already, the government has increased the subvention to NGOs that deal with abuse against children, enacted stricter laws and strengthened the Child Protection Agency.
He also called for a culture change, noting that the issue of violence is a societal problem that needs intolerance all-round.

He said: “We need to work more on a culture of intolerance, and women need to have a support system because many of them depend on the guy, for financial support… so they then have to go back to him. That is why we need to create more avenues for employment, etc.”

This complex issue, he said, plagues different aspects of society and often many become numb to this and therefore, it is important to foster this intolerance for violence.
Last week, the Vice-President said that the government will continue to put more resources out so that there can be 24-hour monitoring.
“Our women and children must be safe. That’s how we intend to approach it,” he said.

The Vice-President’s comments come on the heels of numerous disturbing cases in Guyana, where women were killed by their partners, ex-partners, and in one case, a young woman was allegedly murdered by her stepfather, while another case involved the murder of a woman during a robbery.

Some other victims that have tragically died recently are: Maline LaCruz, Waveney LaCruz, SueAnn LaCruz, Marissa Beete, Kenesha Vaughn, Shameeza Mohamed, Parbhudai Boodram, Bibi Fazila Ally, Mezona Ronaldo and Althea Walton.