Mission

Non-Profit, 501(c)(3)

Mission: The Dragonfly Centre is committed to the elimination of domestic violence against women and their children by providing victim friendly services that promotes the empowerment of survivors; through advocacy, public awareness and education and community based initiatives.

Vision: The Dragonfly Centre envisions a world free of violence against women and their children and social justice for all. We are founded on the vision and belief that every person has the right to live in a safe environment free from violence and the fear of violence and strive to work collaboratively with the community to provide victim friendly services to support domestic violence victims, survivors to the stage of thriving.

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Sunday, December 4, 2011

Electronic Monitoring Perpetrators......What Do You Think About This

‘Ankle bracelets’ for wife-beaters coming—Volney

Published: Sat, 2011-12-03 20:28

Gail Alexander

Domestic abuse perpetrators will be monitored electronically via electronic ankle “bracelets” which can help warn female—and male—victims of possible abuse, Justice Minister Herbert Volney has said. Volney elaborated on the plan in the House of Representatives yesterday as he piloted legislation for the use of electronic monitoring tagging. He said the tagging mechanism, which operates on a GPS system, will be used only on offenders who are not a serious threat to the public. It will not be used for crimes involving rape, murder, treason and the like.

“This will give the court another option...instead of putting a man in jail, put an electronic tag on him and tell him he can’t leave his house,” Volney said. “At least his wife and children will have the company of their husband and father, but he will be confined.” Volney said the electronic tag can particularly be used with regard to domestic violence cases to track perpetrators’ movements. “Government is taking a stand against domestic violence... women are living in fear and we want to protect them,” he added. He said although some women got protection orders, they still suffered repeated violence and sometimes death.

Volney said the Government had heard the pleas of victims and proposed to use the electronic monitoring plan to complement the protection order framework. He said it would better assist police to enforce protection orders and to ascertain who was violating such orders and when perpetrators were entering excluded zones. Volney said the mechanism would provide an early alert to “fearful women” that a perpetrator was on his way.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2011/12/03/ankle-bracelets-wife-beaters-coming-volney

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A Little Background…..

In 2007 I was introduced to the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is a beautiful tropical country located in the southern most part of the Caribbean archipelago. However, the opportunity to travel to this part of the world would not present itself until March of 2009. It was an incredible experience to be able to visit a country where I had never been before and I literally knew no-one. I had the privilege to experience a new culture and meet many wonderful people who made my trip an amazing experience. Although the purpose of my visit was recreational, something happened that changed all of that. One evening while on a hike with my tour guide and one of the locals at The ASA Wright Nature Centre, one of the men asked me where I was from and what I did for a living. It was at that moment that I disclosed that I was a Domestic Violence Advocate. He paused, looked at me and replied,… “we need you here”. At that moment I did not fully understand what he meant or how I could help.

A few days after this I visited one of the local court houses to learn about how someone could obtain a protection order. What I discovered disturbed me greatly, to say the least. The process by which abused individuals could obtain legal protections left much to be desired. This sparked grave concern for victims coupled with a desire to learn more about the local system and services. After I finished my travels all I could think about was the need of the people in Trinidad and Tobago. It was shortly after my return to the United States that the Dragonfly Centre for Women’s Empowerment and Transformation began to take form. While completing my Bachelors degree at Evergreen College, I developed an Individual Learning Contract entitled “Domestic Violence in Trinidad and Tobago” and was awarded The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. This allowed me to return to Trinidad and Tobago for my final quarter at the end of December of 2009 for my nine week study. My focus was on services addressing domestic violence. What I came away with was the echoing cries for help by the people who freely shared their personal views and stories. Although I wasn’t quite sure what, I knew I had to do something. As a consequence, it was these cries that gave birth to and helped shape the Dragonfly Centre to be what it is, a multifaceted institution with a focus on public education, shaping public policy and providing direct victim friendly services to support families dealing with domestic violence.