Domestic Violence In Barbados Continues

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs

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We are saddened to report that another violent act of domestic violence, has led to the death of another Barbadian woman. This time, the cruel act was executed in full public view at the Fisheries Complex situated mere minutes from the capital city of Bridgetown.

We will continue to call for progressive legislation to deal with crimes against our women and children. Many are of the view that this problem is “cultural” stemming from a long history of perpetrators going unpunished. While the Mahogany Coconut Group has long posited that many of our problems are cultural, we beg to suggest that there is no culture that embraces the right to inflict violence on our women and children. We see this more as a failure of successive governments to protect our women and children from such horrendous acts.

Allowing ourselves to dismiss this disrespect for human life under some false cultural precept is a folly, we understand, but cannot endorse. There has been a widespread failure of Caribbean men to accept that our women are no longer there to be only barefoot and pregnant. We recognize that the “village ram” mentality has led to the increase of sexual degradation of our women usually resulting in many fatherless sons and daughters. We note that this trend has slowed down with the advent of better educational advancement of our women. However, we do not think that when the Village Ram becomes the murderer and pervert unleashing his violence on our women and children, that he has any place in modern Caribbean society except behind prison walls.

This is a Caribbean problem that must be eliminated without delay. We urge governments to give the law enforcement agencies the legal tools they need to combat violent crime against our women and children.