Statement by Help & Shelter for 25th November 2008

Statement by Help & Shelter for 25th November 2008 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Help & Shelter’s 13th anniversary)

Fifty Somali men stone 13 year old Asha Ibrahim Dhuhulow  to death girl in front of a crowd of 1,000 in Somalia, and in Afghanistan, two men throw acid on school girls.

Violence against women and girls continues despite progress made at the highest levels to recognise it as the effect of pervasive gender inequalities that have existed and continue to exist, and to address it by legislation, public education and services to victims.

In Guyana, we continue to witness an intensity of violence at different levels. In 2007, Help & Shelter called for the adoption of a national domestic violence policy and this has been achieved. The challenge now is to see its implementation.  The President's encouragement of concerted civil society efforts to reduce violence against women at the recent stakeholder consultation and the establishment of a $15m fund for domestic violence interventions are welcome. However, the DV Policy calls for direct interventions, especially with the Guyana Police Force, and we therefore urge the President to follow through with the Government on all the areas in that policy.

The establishment of a family court having been approved by Cabinet, we call for the enactment of enabling legislation and its implementation as soon as possible.

We also look forward to early passage of new sexual offences legislation as comprehensively proposed in the 'Stamp it Out' consultation paper.

In Guyana, while there are no visible stonings, the violence continues to a large extent because of attitudes of silence and blaming which the crowd in Somalia exhibited. We continue to blame women for their attacks and our condemnation of abusive behaviour is largely silent. Like the crowds who watched Asha Dhuhulow being stoned, in many of our communities we do
not mobilise to stop abusive behaviour and violence, believing that it is only the victim's duty to do so, and we blame her for not seeking help or for 'allowing' the abuse to continue.

Help and Shelter commemorates its thirteenth year, acknowledging the work done by women and men throughout Guyana who have recognised that gender-based violence is not about 'man' and 'woman' story and that change is possible. Help and Shelter thanks its partners for supporting the work which has been done. This year we had the opportunity to work with over 1500 young people with the support of the Ministry of Education and the British  High Commission. They indicated that they were glad to talk about gender and gender related violence, and we encourage the society at large to continue to share the message that violence in any form is wrong.