“It is therefore prudent that Government develop legislative initiatives which allow for the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators of abuse WITHOUT the cooperation of the victim.” – CADRES 2009 Study on Domestic Violence In Barbados.
Last week’s incident of domestic violence would hopefully have shocked us into an appreciation of the precise nature of the type of immorality that should be our No. 1 priority.
It is ironic that the voices which were previously vocal on another variety of “immorality” have now fallen silent. In Barbados there is an unfortunate tendency to believe that several of our social problems will disappear if we do not speak about or act on them, and domestic violence is one.
This problem is global, however “our” brand is special because it exists within a cultural environment where people appear to be either comfortable with its existence, or perhaps are uncomfortable speaking about it or acting to stop it.
There are sociological and cultural factors that impact and I have spoken ad nauseam about the cycle of violence that we embrace by our comfort with corporal punishment.
There is, however, another side which is better articulated by V.S. Naipaul whose mythical Miguel Street spoke casually about domestic violence. Naturally I do not see his presentation as support of the practice, but understand that Naipaul sought to identify it as a reality of Caribbean life. Writers are licensed to draw humorous reference to these events; however it is inexcusable that governments not act to reverse these negative trends.
In the case of Barbados, both the Government and the police should frankly be ashamed of their inaction on these issues that has now led to yet another death of a woman here.
The nature and scope of the problem is well known, especially as CADRES was commissioned by the former administration to conduct an extensive study of this issue in 2007. This study revealed some interesting information and also made several recommendations, none of which has yet been acted upon.
One of the most basic findings in the study speaks to the incidence of death due to domestic violence and demonstrates that this most recent incident is not the first one where a woman has been killed.
The study revealed that by 2007, no less than ten per cent of all homicides in this country were due to domestic violence. Numerically, this translated to numbers ranging from three to ten women with the “high point” being in 2003. Subsequently, one man joined the ranks of those killed in an act of domestic violence.
Some might argue that three out of 25 murders is not a major problem. However, I am inclined to believe that the death of any individual in a situation where it could have been avoided should be a major concern.
It is my conviction that these murders were avoidable since the police’s ability to attribute a murder to domestic violence would of necessity mean that they have information demonstrating that the assailant and victim were intimate partners.
The other and more shocking side to this is that in all instances, the police would have had prior knowledge and in many instances reports of domestic violence inflicted on these same women (and men) who were subsequently killed.
The sad reality is that the police are often aware of the identify of persons who have a history of assaulting their partners, but have done little to bring criminal charges against these persons or, better yet, remove them from the domestic environment.
In fairness, the reason for their inaction is largely due to the unwillingness of victims of such violence to “bring or support charges”. However, this does not make our authorities any less responsible for the sad state of affairs that has now emerged.
It is now more than ever important that Government in all its incarnations wake up from a collective slumber regarding this issue, review the CADRES report and its 14 “urgent” recommendations which were made since 2009, and move to take action with an uncustomary dispatch.
The recommendations are extensive, but the one presented above appears to be the most prudent in light of the most recent tragedy.
• Peter W. Wickham is a political consultant and a director of Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES).
