“GENDER Base Violence refers to the knowledge and appreciation of the social and cultural differences between women and men, and how these result in differences in roles, power relations, privileges, responsibilities, needs, and access to and control over resources and benefits.”

Yesterday, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Petra Organisation, commenced a two-day seminar for coaches of schools who are presently competing in the Milo Under-20 Football tournament, in the Ministry’s boardroom.
Present at the opening ceremony were Co-Directors of Petra Organisation Marlon Cole and Troy Mendonca, CDC Representative Nicolette Henry, Coordinator Gender Base Unit within the Ministry Joy Gravesande, Dr Ertenisia Hamilton and some coaches of the schools.
In his welcoming remarks, Cole thanked both the CDC and Ministry for making the seminar a reality, moreso because of its focus and objective.
“Because of the focus and objective of this activity, we at Petra wish to say thanks to the CDC and Ministry of Health for organising this seminar on Gender Base Violence, for as our love of the game, we try our best to give back to the sport.
“Our focus for football as past players and administrators, we continue to strive to do our best and lend our support and we are happy to merge today on this awareness drive with the two entities, on something that is affecting our society,” said Cole.
He took the time to encourage the coaches present, to make full benefit of the seminar, ensuring that they do justice to the two facilitators, adding that his organisation sought and received scholarships for three players who are presently competing in the Petra/Milo Under-20 tournament, through the Ministry of Public Service.
“I would like to thank the Ministry of Health and CDC for responding to our request for assistance to the coaches in exchange for them to take the message of anti-violence, moreso in the schools, clubs, community and country at large.
“I would also like to take the opportunity to say that we not only sought support for the coaches, but the players as well and in this regard we were able to secure three scholarships from the Ministry of Public Service,” stated Cole.
He added, “We know that this would go a far away in terms of encouraging those three players who will earn it, to remain in school and to strive to increase their allotment of subjects they may get at the CXC level and we are happy that with football, we can use it as a medium to address the players and encourage them as well.”
In her brief remarks, Henry said men are a significant share of the victims in gender violence, even as she expressed her Organisation’s pleasure at being associated with the seminar.
“In recent times, there have been lots of national effort to highlight Gender Base Violence and to this end, the Ministry of Health has greatly increased its focus to combat Gender Base Violence. I hope our efforts would contribute significantly to dispelling hits that primarily plaguing our society,” said Henry.
She added, “I hope that everyone understands that Gender Base Violence is more than physical violence and we want our entire community to appreciate the fact that men are a significant share of the victims and we aspire to create a broader understanding that the Gender Base Violence has a significant economic cost in developing and developed countries alike.
“We would like everyone to remember that while women are in the large majority of Gender Base Violence, they are also leading the fight to eliminate this growth of epidemic and we all need to recognise that men and boys, women and girls need to work together to eliminate Gender Base Violence.”
Henry said the epidemic can be eradicated, if men and boys are furnished with the correct information.
“We can all think of millions of examples and if we provide men with a little more information, a few more results and bit of encouragement, they themselves can be far more supporting, communicating and caring for their partners and family members.
“This is not rocket science, but yet it is not happening on a significant scale. Today, as we begin this workshop through football, it is meant to address issues such as that and I wish to welcome each and every one of you participants here today.”
Dr Hamilton thanked Petra for giving the Ministry of Health the opportunity to address the issue, while she also thanked the CDC for partnering with the Ministry and Petra to make it a reality, using sports as a vehicle to spread the message.
Mendonca expressed his delight at the response shown by the coaches in attending the seminar, saying it can only help them to go back to their charges and better equip them with ways and methods to handle Gender Base Violence, even as he thanked the Ministry and CDC for their unwavering support.

(By Calvin Roberts)