– Construction of a safe house in full swing

DORCAS Mending Hearts Ministry (DMHM), a non-profit organisation providing free legal services to victims of violence, irrespective of the form it takes, is now in the process of establishing a safe house in the country, having already been gifted land by the Guyana Government.

While the building plan has already been drawn up, the actual building is expected to start in 2022.
“It’s going to be a place where victims of violence can go and heal and recover, so that they can restart again. A lot of times we have nowhere to send the people who engage us. It’s going to be a place where you receive counselling and be provided with an environment in which you can heal,” President of the organisation, Kim Kyte-Thomas, told Pepperpot Magazine lately.

The intention is for the facility to be able to house at least 25 women at a time, who will be afforded the sort of protection they need from their aggressive partners, who many times ignore the protection orders in place.

“The police can’t be behind you 24/7. The risk is real. The safe house will offer that period of protection. We signed a co-operation MoU with [the] Guyana Defence Force (GDF) as they’re helping us with the building,” Kyte-Thomas shared, adding, “It’s going to be a state-of-the-art facility. What we have in mind are those facilities that you hear about abroad. I kid you not.”

A former prosecutor and magistrate, Kyte-Thomas has had lots of dealings with victims of violence, so the issue is very close to her heart. Even as a practising lawyer, she found herself offering pro bono services for victims on many occasions.

“Sometimes in the magistrates’ court, there’s an inequity with respect to representation; the victim could be alone while the abuser has some big star lawyer. That inequity is one of the reasons behind this organisation,” she reflected.

Launched in 2018, DMHM has helped dozens of women who experienced violence in some form and has been working to provide other support services to them and even the children involved in the cases.
“We have been working with the GDF for a while now and have done a lot of training on the Sexual Offences Act and the Domestic Violence Act. Recently, we even produced a training manual for the GDF,” Kyte-Thomas pointed out.

Her organisation helps with filing fees, counselling, representation in court, and a host of other support services to help the beneficiary recover as fully as possible. Financial assistance has also been given on occasions to help survivors start up businesses or continue those that may have been neglected.

Encouraging
Kyte-Thomas feels that even though the country has come a far way in dealing with domestic violence, it still has a long way to go. “I think the stance of the Human Services Ministry now is very encouraging. I find that the ministry is engaging the discussion at every level, going to the community and I applaud that. It’s saying to everyone, let’s work together and the fact that they’re reaching out to others saying let’s join in the fight together is encouraging for all of us,” she expressed.
She’d especially like to see stiffer penalties in place so that people will think twice before they engage in these types of activities. “I would also like to see domestic violence offences separated from the normal criminal offences in the Summary Jurisdiction Magistrates’ Court Act and the Criminal Law Offences Act. I want to see them placed in a different category,” she said.

The Missing Statements and the Hidden Knives
Pepperpot Magazine was able to talk with one of the survivors who was helped by DMHM. The survivor, who will remain anonymous, said she didn’t mind sharing her story so that other sufferers out there can know that there is help available and that they can get out.

Even though she left her abusive husband, he’d still find his way to her new place and carry on with his abuse. He’d even meet her on the road and perpetrate his violence. So she decided to seek help.

“I had issues with court proceedings. My file was misplaced, so I had to give back statements and reports. They couldn’t find my statements. I had a Protection Order, but when I went to court, they said they had no evidence of it being in place. I was up and down. I was really frustrated and scared,” she reflected. All the while, the abuse continued either over the phone or in person.

When the foundation heard her story and came on board to help, it made things easier for this survivor to cope. “The foundation has been a great help in not only legal assistance, but support services and would even call to check in on how I was coping. They provided the legal service in getting the matter settled in court, helped me get a divorce, as well as maintenance for my two children.”

One incident that really changed this woman’s view of her situation was when her children, ages eight and 13 at the time, hid all of the knives in the house. They did so after witnessing an attack by their father on their mother and was scared that he’d use a knife to hurt their mother. “This was a wake-up call for me to see that it was affecting my children. It also affected their academic performance,” the survivor said.

Even as she remains scared, often looking over her shoulder when she’s on the road due to fright, this survivor still wants other sufferers to know that help is available. “There is help out there. It’s all about finding that help and surviving. I can’t say that the road is easy, but with the help I received, I am able to push through every day.”