From Cayman Islands Government Office UK and Cayman Connection

London, United Kingdom – The Cayman Islands Government Office in the UK (CIGO-UK) to host Online Safeguarding Event in Cayman Connection’s “Virtual Yard”.  

The CIGO-UK will host a virtual safeguarding event on Wednesday 20 March at 1pm EST, 6pm GMT in partnership with Cayman Connection as part of the Virtual Yard Meeting series.  

The event is being organised in conjunction with the Cayman Islands Government’s Strategic Reforms Implementation Unit (SRIU) and the Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS) in the UK. 

The topic of Safeguarding will focus specifically on sexual assault, designed to educate, empower and connect the Cayman Islands community at home and overseas with resources relating to rape or sexual assault.  

Dr. Tasha Ebanks Garcia of the CIGO-UK will host this meeting, with guests Matthew Hylton and Sarah Murphy of the Strategic Reforms Implementation Unit (CIG), who will be joined by guest speaker Sam Becket of the Independent Domestic Abuse Services in the UK (IDAS). 

Dr Ebanks Garcia commented: “This event is very important to the Cayman Islands Government Office in the UK as we wish to inform young people about how to find information, resources and help in the event of sexual abuse, also what signs to look out for in their daily lives at university and when out with fellow students.  We feel it is not only important for our students to protect themselves, and to know where to get help, but also to be able to know what to do in the event of a situation affecting their peers. It is a pleasure to be working with the Strategic Reforms Implementation Unit and Independent Domestic Abuse Services to deliver this important session and is an example CIGO-UKs’ extension of all areas of the Cayman Islands Government agenda.”   

Safeguarding areas of focus for the event will include sexual assault myths, facts, and statistics for the UK and the Caribbean; utilising the support services of a SARC (Sexual Assault Referral Centre); and getting help in the Cayman Islands.   

Cayman Connection’s Executive Director Kate Kandiah added: “This is such an important topic for Caymanians at home and overseas, and particularly for Caymanian students who are living and studying at university far from home. The Cayman Connection Virtual Yard Meetings are held twice a month and are an opportunity for Caymanians overseas to come together to discuss topics of interest. Once a month we collaborate with partners and sponsors to delve deeper into important topics that can help the network, and we are so pleased to be offering this session with the CIGO-UK. These events are free with a pre-registration, and we encourage all interested in this topic, those studying overseas and parents of those living overseas to please register for the event and join us to learn more.”  

For more information and to register visit: caymanconnection.org/safeguarding