Outcry against gender violence

Seema Kapoor, Head of the
16 days/Silent Witness
Committee of the Business
and Professional Women’s
Club of Grand Cayman (BPW)

Thursday,  November  24, 2005

Seema Kapoor, head of 16 days/Silent Witness Committee of the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Grand Cayman (BPW) will be leading a local programme starting on 25 November to draw attention to the issue of gender violence.

Described as a heinous crime and a violation of basic human rights, those involved will be sending a message of zero tolerance for this offence throughout the Cayman Islands.

Internationally recognised issues such as domestic violence, rape, women suffering in silence, gender stereotypes in which some gender violence issues are sourced, as well as other similar areas will be highlighted over16 days outcry, commencing on the International Day of Activism Against Gender Violence – and ending on 10 December, International Human Rights Day.

The programme will move along from day one through to day 16 raising issues, but the strongest message will be that gender violence criminally erodes the basic human rights of the individual.

“16 days of Activism Against Gender Violence,” was adopted by the BPW in 1998 to bring awareness to domestic violence here in Cayman, Mrs Kapoor explained. As head of the Silent Witness Committee Mrs Kapoor is aware of the many components related to domestic violence.

“The Silent Witness Committee was so named as it related to a march we staged in October for the women who lost lives as a result of domestic violence.

“On the other hand, the 16 days of Activism from 25 November to 10 December address those who are living and suffering through dealing with gender violence issues.

“Throughout the 16 days there will be an intense media awareness blitz on gender violence issues.”

For the International Day of Activism Against Gender Violence, Hon Anthony Eden, Minister of Health and Human Services will issue a statement.

According to Mrs Kapoor, this statement will provide a national association, from the Islands’ highest levels, with the global programme.

In addition, black or blue ribbons will be on sale and persons are encouraged to wear these, especially on 2 December, the “Dress Down Day” for the programme.

“On that day companies are encouraged to allow employees to express support for the campaign by allowing them to wear black or navy blue clothes. These are the two colours that are symbolic of the bruises experienced as a result of domestic violence,” Mrs Kapoor said.

A fundraising and educational component of the 16-day programme includes the sale of a CD with the poem “Domestic Abuse Has No Use”.

“The poem is written by Susan Watson and it tells the stories of local abuse victims in the Cayman Islands. Susan says most of the poem came together in the wee hours of the morning after she spoke with several men and women who have been abused. She said that writing the poem gave her goose bumps.

“Ms Watson has donated all proceeds of this CD to BPW’s Grand Cayman project,” Mrs Kapoor added”.

Also in the line-up of activities is a candlelight vigil on 6 December at the George Town Heroes Square. Church services will also be held on Sunday 27 November at Agape Church and Saturday 10 December at the George Town Seventh Day Adventist Church, respectively.

Called “A universal problem of epidemic proportions” in a recent United Nations press release, the Council of Europe in 2002 declared gender violence a public health emergency, finding that such violence causes more ill health and deaths than traffic accidents and malaria combined.

It even rivals cancer as a cause of death and incapacity among women aged 16 to 44.

In 2002, the World Health Organization found that in Australia, Canada, Israel, South Africa and the United States, 40 to 70 percent of women who were murdered were in situations where their intimate partners abused them before death.

According to one social scientist, gender violence is often intimately linked with other conflicts. Rape, mutilation and attack of women and girls are often used as a tool of war or are rampant in environments after conflicts.

Included in a WHO report recently was “The magnitude of gender based violence is difficult to determine even in normal situations, and all the more difficult in disaster situations where barriers to reporting - fear of retribution, powerlessness, lack of support, breakdown of public services and the dispersion of families and communities - are greater.”

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