Over 5,500 Calls for Help to Hotline in One Year

Published on Aug 5, 2015, 8:51 pm AST
By Kim Boodram


MORE than 5,000 calls for help were made to the National Domestic Violence hotlines from October 2012 to September 2013, Minister in the Ministry of Gender Youth and Child Development Stacy Roopna­rine said yesterday.

Roop­narine said despite efforts from all quarters, gender-based violence was on the rise.

She was speaking at a stakehol­der consultation to develop a commu- nica­tion strategy for the prevention of violence against women and children in Trinidad and Tobago, at the Radisson Hotel in Port of Spain.

“In addition to 5,522 calls to the hotline, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service had repor­ted 689 cases of sexual offences from January to September in 2013.

“This represented an increase of more than 200, compared with the whole of 2011,” Roopnarine said.
Reported sexual offences involving female victims numbered 573 for the period 2012 while the number of charges for sexual assault with female victims totalled 260 for the same period, Roopnarine said.

“For the period January to August 2013, the number of reported sexual offences with female victims amounted to 266, compared to the number of charges for sexual assault with female victims of 116 for the same period,” she added.
Government was committed to addressing gender-based violence and as a member of the United Nations, the country had signed and ratified various international treaties and conventions without reservation, Roopnarine said.

“These instruments have always emphasised that member nations put in place all the necessary mechanisms needed to eliminate gender discrimination, ensure equality and human dignity to all,” she said.

Gender-based violence had however continued to rise and allevia­ting this social disease had proven to be enormously difficult, she said.

“There is still the need to find conceptual vehicles and practical mechanisms through which the problem of violence against wo­men and children can be addressed,” Roopnarine said, going on to suggest an effective communication stra- tegy process is an important tool.

Earlier interventions needed

Dr Bernadette Theodore-Gandi, Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) representative, in her address, said globally, up to 35 per cent of women had experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate-partner violence or non-partner sexual violence.

“Across the region, women who reported physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner were also more likely to report unwanted or unintended pregnancies.

“Under these circumstances, the potential for unsafe abortions increase, and these women are also at risk for sexually transmitted infections,” Theodore-Gandi said.

Lasting change and a permanent break in the cycle of violence meant in addition to enacting appropriate legislation, having sustained programmes to move the population towards more peaceful norms and early and sustained interventions to at-risk families, she said.

Source: http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20150805/news/stacy-over-5500-calls-for-help-to-hotline-in-one-year

Minister on domestic violence: 5,522 hotline calls in a year

Geisha Kowlessar

Published: Thursday, August 6, 2015

 

Chloe Fevre, left, specialist at the Office of Evaluation at the Inter

American Development Bank, has the attention of Dr Bernadette

Theodore-Gandi, centre, PAHO/WHO country representative of

T&T and Minister in the Ministry of Gender Youth and Child

Development Stacy Roopnarine, after yesterday’s launch.

The number of client calls to the National Domestic Violence hotlines were 5,522  for the fiscal period October 2012 to September 2013, says Minister in the Ministry of Gender Youth and Child Development Stacy Roopnarine. She was speaking at the stakeholder consultation to develop a communication strategy for the prevention of violence against women and children in T&T. The event was held at the Radisson Hotel, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

She said the Police Service reported 689 cases of sexual offences for January to September in 2013. “This represented an increase of more than 200 compared with the whole of 2011,” Roopnarine said. She said the number of reported sexual offences involving female victims for the period 2012 was 573.

Additionally the number of charges for sexual assault with female victims totalled 260 for the same period, Roopnarine added. “For the period January to August 2013 the number of reported sexual offences with female victims amounted to 266 compared to the number of charges for sexual assault with female victims of 116 for the same period,” Roopnarine added.

She assured the Government was committed to continue addressing the issue of gender-based violence and as a member of the United Nations had signed and ratified various relevant international instruments, treaties and conventions without reservation. “These instruments have always emphasised that member nations put in place all the necessary mechanisms needed to eliminate gender discrimination, ensure equality and human dignity to all,” Roopnarine said.

However, she added that despite the number of efforts, gender-based violence continued to rise, which had proven enormously difficult in alleviating that social disease. “There is still the need to find conceptual vehicles and practical mechanisms through which the problem of violence against women and children can be addressed.

“One way to do specifically do so is through an effective communication strategy process,” Roopnarine recommended. Such a strategy, she added, formed a critical part of any initiative to address violence against women and children.

Also speaking was Dr Bernadette Theodore-Gandi, Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) representative, who said globally 35 per cent of women had experienced either physical and or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence.

Source: http://indepth.guardian.co.tt/news/2015-08-06/minister-domestic-violence-5522-hotline-calls-year