Statements

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.

On International Women’s Day 2008, Help & Shelter salutes and extends warm greetings to all those women from all ethnic groups throughout Guyana who continue to fulfill their numerous roles as mothers, grandmothers, wives, sisters, daughters, caregivers and breadwinners . We especially extend our support and solidarity to those who lost their loved ones in the massacres of Lusignan and Bartica.

Help & Shelter is inexpressibly saddened and appalled at and condemns unequivocally the massacre in Bartica of more innocent people: Edwin Gilkes, Dexter Adrian, Irving Ferreira, Zaheer Zakir, Shane Fredericks, Ron Osborne, Deonarine Singh, Ronald Gomes, Ashraf Khan, Abdool Yasin, Errol Thomas and Baldeo Singh.

We extend our deepest sympathy to the families, relatives, friends and colleagues of those who were cruelly gunned down and call - as we did following the Lusignan massacre less than a month ago - for those responsible to be brought to justice.

Help & Shelter joins in the condemnation of the murders of the six children and five adults at Lusignan early on Saturday morning. There is no justification for any kind of murder and this attack is a horrific indicator of the levels to which criminals in our society seem to want to assert themselves.

Help & Shelter's comments and recommendations in response to “Stamp It Out” -
Consultation Paper on strengthening protection against sexual violence and reforming the law on sexual offences issued by the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security

The theme for the 2007 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is "Demanding Implementation, Challenging Obstacles: End Violence Against Women".

Help & Shelter recognises the following obstacles to alleviating violence against women:

1) The failure of the Government to implement of the Policy Recommendations submitted by the Domestic Violence Task Force

2) Delay in the introduction of a Family Court

3) The degradation of women in advertising and popular culture

Help & Shelter views with horror and alarm the report in Stabroek News of Saturday 10 November that young children from a Georgetown primary school have been sexually assaulted, allegedly by a businessman at his nearby place of business.

We share the concern expressed by one of the victim’s parents that the man, who is free on station bail, will flee the country. It would appear from the report that the police have sufficient evidence to lay charges and call upon them to act with all possible expedition.

Help and Shelter alarmed over committal of Mocha girls to NOC
-calls on human services minister to have them moved
Thursday, August 9th 2007
Stabroek News

Help and Shelter yesterday said it was alarmed that the two runaway Mocha girls were committed to the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) stating that the practice of committing abused children on the charge of wandering to an institution for juvenile offenders "is a travesty of justice as it heaps additional abuse on those whose fundamental problems stem from abuse and neglect."

Help & Shelter, which is committed to transforming attitudes in Guyanese society on the use of violence through building respect for the rights of women, children, youth and men to live lives free of violence and the threat to violence, views with alarm the decision to send the two young teenage girls from Mocha to the NOC for three years

Help & Shelter is appalled at the recent escalation of violence against and murders of women in the Linden area.

As an organization committed to the eradication of all forms of violence in our society, and in particular domestic violence and child abuse, we call on the Linden authorities, especially the Linden Police Force, to redouble their efforts to ensure that women and their children are given the very best of protection and security at all times and that those responsible for these terrible acts of violence are brought to justice.