News Releases

IGDS Statement on the recent occurrences of IPV, GBV and Child Abuse in Trinidad & Tobago

For Release Upon Receipt - October 22, 2024

St. Augustine


St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago, October 22, 2024 – The Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS), St Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies (The UWI) calls upon those entrusted with the security of the population to treat cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and related issues with urgency and care. Those who have been appointed to assist in the protection and support of survivors of GBV must:

1.       Commit to ensuring that they treat every case with due diligence regardless of the case history of the victim or personal beliefs.

2.       Recognise that particularly in cases of death, inherent in providing protection is ensuring that victims are not subjected to any form of victim blaming and their well-being is a priority.

3.       Recognise that the Government and the arms of the state entrusted with addressing issues of GBV are responsible for treating cases of GBV meticulously and with great empathy.

According to reports, there have been 28 murders related to domestic violence in 2024 with 1227 reported cases between January and August 2. In many instances, the victims had protection orders. However, in the last two months, the nation has borne witness to concurring incidents of violence against women and children. More so, there have been consecutive incidents of GBV in the last week. Between October 7th and 12th, there were five (5) incidents of violence against women and/or children resulting in five deaths, including the death of a 14-month-old child.

While we collectively mourn the loss of those whose lives were brutally taken, we seem to have revisited popular talking points, "Why did she stay?" "What did she do to drive him to this?" Despite all efforts to curb this issue through legislation and sensitization training, there seems to be a continued superficial approach to addressing GBV and related issues. Conversations of needing a safe space for survivors and all their children and the provision of user-friendly protection mechanism are key in addressing cases of GBV. However, the culture of victim blaming, together with personal biases, result in service providers (and duty bearers) persistently falling short of protecting those who are unable to protect themselves.

Recently, we are reminded that children, due to their already vulnerable status, have become collateral damage in these incidents. It was never a “man and woman thing,” but now it extends to the expense of the lives of children of the victims/survivors and perpetrators. As a country, we already grapple with gang-related violence and have seemed to run the risk of treating acts of violence at different levels of urgency. GBV and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in particular is a national problem (and has been for a long time) and it is of utmost importance that we respond relevantly across all sectors and stakeholders.

Therefore, we at the Institute for Gender and Development (IGDS) call on the government to consider the following:

1. The Ministry of National Security and the TTPS should use the 6.912 billion allocated in the recent 2024 budget to work with the university to develop a comprehensive GBV sensitization programme. This programme can be done in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social Development and the TTPS GBV Unit to create a uniform response to reports of GBV.

2. GBV is not simply a security issue, but it is also a health issue, a social protection issue, and a multi-sectoral issue. The psychological fallout of GBV incidents can be addressed through the gender mainstreaming of existing mental health policies and protocols. This will also allow health practitioners, who are often tasked with treating survivors/victims, to understand how to provide the psychological and emotional support needed aside from the treatment of physical wounds.

3. There is a need for Protection Orders to activate a much stronger mechanism of support, considering the number of women that have been killed had protection orders.

Media personnel must be mindful of how the sensitivity of language needs to form part of their reporting of incidents of GBV. While sensationalizing helps to increase traction, consideration must be given to survivors/victims and their families.

These recommendations are not new to the state bodies and other relevant actors. They reference the National Strategic Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Sexual Violence in Trinidad and Tobago which was launched earlier this year. Specifically, Outcomes 2 and 5 of the framework speak to the need for gender-responsive services along with a multi-stakeholder coordinating strategy to address issues of GBV. The strategy also adopts the Five (5) P's Model Project, where the themes of Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, Punishments/Penalties and Provision of redress and reparation are outlined as key elements to addressing GBV. The theme of protection in particular should not be limited to physical harm, but there must be consideration to the psychological and emotional well-being of victims/survivors. This consideration should also be afforded to their relatives as they are vicariously traumatized. Therefore, there should be a zero-tolerance policy on victim blaming. Service providers must not re-traumatize survivors and the relatives of victims with callous utterances of blame.

We at the Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS) remain committed to being a partner to all relevant bodies in the fight against GBV and will continue to provide technical support and create capacity-building opportunities for all stakeholders involved in addressing this issue.

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About The University of the West Indies

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is the Caribbean’s premier, higher education institution. One of only two regional universities in the world, it comprises five campuses across the English-speaking Caribbean and global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. The UWI has been consistently ranked among the best in the world by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE).

 Learn more at www.uwi.edu

 

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