From Trinidad Express

Globally, one in three women worldwide will experience gender-based violence in her lifetime, and in some countries, up to 70 per cent of the female population is affected.

These statistics were yesterday revealed by Margaret Diop, US Embassy Charge d Affaires, who was at the time speaking at a Domestic and Gender-based Violence and Physical and Sexual Abuse workshop, which was organised by Caribbean American Domestic Violence Awareness (CADVA), at the US Embassy Conference Room, Briar Place, Sweet Briar Road in Port of Spain.

“According to the United Nations, all Caribbean countries have higher than the global average for rape. These statistics make clear that addressing domestic violence is not just a moral imperative. It is an economic necessity.  In addition to the psychological and emotional tolls we pay, we also pay the medical bills and legal costs. We lose wages and productivity. Businesses lose employees. Families lose primary wage-earners. In short, we simply cannot afford to let gender-based violence continue,” Diop said.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination. It is defined as violence that is directed against a person on the basis of gender. Gender-based violence reflects and reinforces inequalities between men and women. Gender-based violence and violence against women are often used interchangeably as most gender-based violence is inflicted by men on women and girls.

Diop said the US recognises gender-based violence as both a human rights and public health policy concern.  “The US Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 to protect victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

“The Act provides US$1.6 billion for the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, imposes automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allows civil redress in cases prosecutors chose to leave unprosecuted.

“One of the greatest successes of the Act is its emphasis on a coordinated community response to domestic violence and sexual assault. Courts, law enforcement, prosecutors, victim services, and the private bar currently work together in a coordinated effort to combat domestic violence,” Diop said.

Justice Joseph Tam said allegations of sexual abuse against children have increased. Lack of expert evidence, he said, continues to be an issue and noted that lack of expert evidence is an issue.

“The family court deals with these cases as quickly as we can but the other courts are not suited to deal with these things because they are overwhelmed. Over the past few years I have noticed that allegations of sexual abuse against children have increased.

“I am getting more of these cases and the difficulty is that as a magistrate you have to depend on the evidence before you and the quality of the evidence is the problem. We don’t have expert evidence in this area. We are not researched in these areas because very often physical evidence is non-existent, medical evidence is inconclusive and it breaks down to one party’s word against the other,” Tam said.

Diana Mahabir-Wyatt, chair of the Trinidad and Tobago Coalition Against Domestic Violence described the court system as combative.

“Those in the legal system must be trained in how to talk to children. There are mothers who will not take their daughters to court and there are men who are the perpetrators who get away free all the time because neither the women nor their children who are victims want to have to face the court system,” Mahabir-Wyatt said.

“There is a depression having to face the court; those in the legal systems need to be exposed to ongoing training,” she said.

Victim and Witness Support Unit manager, Margaret Sampson-Browne said often times emphasis is placed on protection of women and reminded workshop participants that the Domestic Violence Act is also for men. There are men who are of the opinion that the Domestic Violence Act is made by women for women but it’s not,” Sampson-Browne said.

Dianne Madray from CADVA facilitated an interactive workshop in which various interest groups which attended included social workers, counsellors and members of the legal system. Madray focused on signs of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as it relates to domestic violence and the impact on the victim’s mental health and discussed the signs and symptoms of PTSD.

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