Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Nov 26, 2014 News
“What have you done to reduce gender-based violence?” was the question posed to those who gathered at the Ministry
of Human Services and Social Security’s inter-faith service held yesterday.
The question was asked by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Country Representative Ms Patrice La Fleur. The service was held in acknowledgement of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
As she delivered brief remarks, La Fleur said that gender-based violence requires everybody’s attention and intervention. She pointed out that every day in Guyana there are incidents of sexual, physical and psychological abuse and that such occurrences exist even with all the legislation in place to prevent such. She explained that “we are now left to seek further interventions.”
The UNFPA representative said that gender-based violence is vast. She said too that it is a cultural problem, an economic problem, a social problem and one that has damning physical and mental effects.
She asked those gathered, “What are your contributions in the elimination of gender-based violence and to the realization of our theme ‘from peace in the home to peace in the world, let us end gender-based violence?’”
“As parents, what are you doing to ensure that your children will respect each other and will not see violence as the solution to anything?”
She then turned her attention to teachers and questioned whether there are still certain “boy duties and girl duties” in the schools or subjects that girls should do and those that boys should do. She said that if that is the case, a new trend is needed.
Instead, La Fleur charged that children should be encouraged to do the subjects they deem important and equality on all grounds must exist in the schools.
The bosses did not slip the attention of La Fleur as she went on to question if employers are promoting equality in the workplace.
The UNFPA representative said, “We all, as individual actors in society, must ask what rules and norms are we promoting”. She said that various religious bodies too must introspect to see what part they are playing to end gender-based equality.
La Fleur charged that all seek to stamp out “motherhood in childhood and pledged that the UNFPA will continue to support the work galvanized to put an end to gender-based violence “as we step up interventions aimed at reducing and eventually preventing gender-based violence.” (Abena Rockcliffe)
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