Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for gender and child affairs, Ayanna Webster-Roy, is making a clarion call for victims of gender-based violence to seek help. Webster Roy acknowledges that domestic violence is not limited to women and girls but says women are the main victims.
She was speaking on Thursday at a one-off grant distribution ceremony aimed at assisting civil society organisations in conducting programmes that promote gender equality and child development.
She said, “Gender-based violence continues to be a challenge, predominantly affecting all women and all girls. And we are not saying that men aren’t affected. We are just acknowledging that women and girls are predominantly affected. It is rooted in gender inequality and is one of the most prevalent human rights violations.”
She added that gender-based violence did not take place only in the lower socioeconomic demographics of society but transcended all classes and economic backgrounds.
“Gender-based violence is not limited to financially depressed communities but is found in every strata of our society.
Of course, we acknowledge that men are victims of domestic violence and intimate partner violence as well, and the government of Trinidad and Tobago seeks to create a society where abused men and boys have safe spaces to report, receive relief, and start a new chapter of their lives. That is why we established the Men’s Bureau so that the men’s issues are addressed in a systematic, integrated, and professional manner.”
And says it requires an all-of-society approach if there are to be significant changes.
Twelve organisations and individuals received $163,000 in one-off grants, as well as 48 dignity kits containing essential supplies for women and girls, which were donated by the United Nations Population Fund.
Trinidad and Tobago continue to join with the rest of the world in observing sixteen days of activism aimed at bringing awareness and an end to gender-based violence.
