Message for International Day Against Violence Against Women

In a society where the stronger squeeze the weaker, the havoc of the hurricanes produce a new kind of trauma for the poor of the region. One report out of Grenada says, “Our young girls are now having sex for food and water” – basic needs. Another report from Haiti says, “Delivery and distribution of relief items have become a nightmare because of lack of security. Convoys are attacked, armed hooligans steal and resell goods at a high price to victims. In Jamaica, the maternity ward is without electricity and mothers are giving birth in inhumane conditions. Again in Haiti, women have been raped in the shelters.

The hurricanes have swept through the region and laid bare not only the physical terrain, but the heart and soul of Caribbean people. On the one hand there is a great outpouring of support for the many afflicted. On the other hand the determination of a section of people to rob, rape, kill and strike fear in the hearts of citizens. Looking beyond an outrage at their inhumanity, the looters are but demonstrating the societal conditions, in which the women’s movement must function, caught in the grip of institutionalised violence.

Contributing factors to the disastrous effects of the hurricanes are the poverty of people, violence and want, lack of employment, poor health service, poor infrastructure, and degradation of the environment. In the midst of such chaos and pain, as the weight seems to get heavier, can we still affirm “Mother the great stone got to move”?

The ray of hope is that women are resisting – mobilising at the grassroots and other levels of the society to create change. The International Day Against Violence Against Women is itself a beacon of hope. Women rally to the call to lay bare the issues and join their voices to cry out against injustices – to cry out to CARICOM and other governmental agencies of power to address the needs of the weak and oppressed.

The International Day Against Violence Against Women is a day to honour the Mirabal Sisters of the Dominican Republic who died at the hands of a Dictator, as they upheld the principles of social justice. We continue their feminist struggle and recommit our organisations to build a culture of peace. Women’s organisations cannot be complacent and inactive, for as long as women continue to be beaten and killed through domestic violence, there is a need for feminist research and action; as long as women are denied access to the seat of power in decision making, feminist campaigns are needed to stop the cycle of violence at the level of the state.

As long as the media continues a negative portrayal of women, feminist organisations must act to create positive images. When opinion leaders blame women for the underachievement of some males, and persist in degrading women’s educational achievements, women must work to overturn these new forms of discrimination.

Women are victims of violence resulting from natural and man-made disasters. Until violence against women is rejected by society, the feminist movement must move forward together – “Mother, the great stone, the stone of violence, Mother the great stone got to move”.

Nelcia Robinson Coordinator CAFRA