violence against women
Monday, November 28, 2005
KINGSTON, Jamaica: Jamaica joined the rest of the world in
observing International Day Against
Violence Against Women
on Friday.
Faith Webster, Acting Executive Director of the Bureau
of Women's Affairs, said that Jamaica would mark the
occasion through the staging of a programme of activities
at Emancipation Park in Kingston.
The initiative was "undertaken as part of the Bureau's
thrust to assist in sensitizing and educating the public in
addition to raising awareness on the issue of violence
against women," Mrs. Webster noted.
Outlining the activities, she said, "we will be having a
programme of events with the focus this year being on
issues concerning domestic violence and sexual abuse.
The guest speaker at the opening ceremony will be
Dr. Paul Robertson, Minister of Development.
This year we decided specifically to target students in high
schools and the youth. Of course it is still open to the public
because we want everybody to be sensitized about the issue."
A total of 80 schools from across the island have been
invited to participate in the various activities that will be a
part of tomorrow's event at Emancipation Park.
There will be a variety of sessions including a presentation
from the HIV/AIDS National Committee on Risky Behaviour.
Students will also get a chance to voice their concerns on
violence and other issues affecting them during an open
forum.
"Persons can come prepared for a very informative day
through educational films developed by the Bureau on
domestic violence and sexual abuse, dramatic performances
as well as entertainment by several groups and booth
displays," commented Mrs. Webster.
A panel discussion will highlight human trafficking, which
has become an issue of main concern especially as this
relates to violence against women and children and the
recent findings, which put Jamaica on a tier three list by
the United States Government. The Bureau of Women's
Affairs hopes that out of these discussions, women would
become more aware and the knowledge garnered would
assist them in protecting themselves.
The International Day Against Violence Against Women
emerged from the story of the four Mirabal sisters, who
grew up in a city in the Dominican Republic during the era
of the dictator Rafael Trujillo. Three of them - Minerva,
Patria, and Maria Teresa - were brutally murdered by the
Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic in 1960 for
their involvement in efforts to overthrow the fascist
government.
According to Mrs. Webster, "in 1981 Latin American and
Caribbean nations protested the killing of the sisters and
proposed that a day be set apart for women, who had
violence meted out against them".
On December 17, 1999, the United Nations General
Assembly designated November 25 as the annual date
for the International Day Against Violence Against Women
in commemoration of the sisters.
The day was set aside for women groups and activists to
look at the issues concerning sexual violence and sexual
abuse in their own countries. Additionally, the day affords
activists the opportunity to conceptualize strategies that
can be implemented in an attempt to address the
prevailing issues.
Seeing Jamaica move into the 20 century finally and
acknowledge subjects normally kept secret pleases
me.
I heard my grandmother's friend once telling my
grandmother her daughter in law deserved the
beatings she got from her son. It trouble me and when
I asked my grandmother about it. She said some
men are like that. "Don't get involved with a
mother's son".
She said we should not get involved and although even
the neighbours knew what this man did- no one
moved to help her. I was only 9 at the time.
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