The Absence of Rage

The Caribbean stands under threat, not only from natural disasters, but also from catastrophes brought about by human acts of violence. It is true to say that for the Caribbean never has fear swept over the land as now. For the dominant world economic system and the development policies emanating from it has bred wars and killings, hate and rape, and violence knocks at every door of the region.

Violence As Commonplace

Bystanders look on as a man beats his wife, and gouges out her eyes. A teenaged girl is repeatedly raped by her father or stepfather and her mother remains silent. A battered woman crawls to the Health Centre or Police Station and meets indifference. Violence has become a commonplace with men and women traumatised into complacency. Yet there is an absence of rage.

Strategic Intervention

The Project described within these pages seeks to intervene strategically and break the cycle of complacency. In so doing, it is supported by several important instruments as institutionalised by the United Nations Divison for the Advancement of Women.

In 1946, the United Nations established its Commission on the Status of Women. This was the beginning the UN’s drive to build a legal basis to promote women’s rights. In 1975, there was the First World Conference on Women, which not only declared 1975 as the INternational Year of Women, but also ushered in the United Nations Decade for Women, with the theme of Equality, Development and Peace.

In 1980, the second World Conference on Women was held in Copenhagen, and saw the introduction of the Convention of the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. In 1985, the Third World Conference on Women was held in Nairobi, Kenya, and adopted the Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies as a blueprint for women’s future in all realms of life.

Ten years later, the Fourth World Conference on AWomen was held and delegates adopted the Beijing Platfor for Action on twelve critical areas of concern, among them the issue of violence against Women.

Unprecedented Effort

In fulfilling its commitment to a vision of a world free of violence, the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action has pioneered several important projects and research that have provided valuable data, and brought the issue to the forefront.

CAFRA also saw the need for a critical mass of actors to enforce the provisions of these instruments, for the benfit of the victims and changed behaviour of the perpetrators of violence. This critical mass of actors identified to assist with curbing the problem, are the Police and Social Workers.

The Project under implementation is unprecedented in the region - the training of apporximately 30,000 police officers and social workers in domestic violence intervention strategies, in seventeen Caribbean countries. It is an awesome task for an awesome problem.

A Righteous Rage

It is designed to bring about a rejection of violent tendencies, stir public consciousness and ignite a righteous rage against inequality, discrimination and exploitation of women.

In this task, every person of conscience is a Stakeholder. Let us, as people of conscience, work together to transform our societies and build sustainable communities that are no longer oppressed by the Absence of Rage.