Dear Editor,
Please allow me to extend my deepest condolences to relatives and friends of Teekadai Atiya Solomon and Alroy Solomon. I will continue to pray for their son, the young Solomon. In recent times, too many of our women are leaving this world in haste and in an untimely manner. Unfulfilled dreams, and incomplete poten-tials are extinguished in a single moment. Most of the time they are running for their lives out of breath, weary and afraid. They fall into the unfortunate hands of their partners and most of the time in these scenarios he has lost his mind.
Have we no way of helping our women? Is there nothing we can do?
The home is under attack and domestic violence is ripping families apart. Unlike other crimes domestic violence exists within the home where the enemy is most times the person we trust. This is the difficulty in handling this situation. The home is a very private and intimate space. It is a place where the law without a warrant cannot enter. But this is no excuse to not help these women.
We must provide a remedy that can respectfully deal with the abuser and the family dynamics. Making the perpetrator a criminal could be a reason why many are afraid to come forward. No wife wants to betray her husband and cause him to be labeled a criminal. We cannot deny that love once existed within the hearts of these abusers to their victims. So let’s deal with the family in a more respectful way to tackle this problem. Respectful but firm measures are needed to break the cycle.
Since this is a social and criminal matter, I would like to suggest that the Ministry of Social Services be placed strategically in each police station throughout the country. There should be a representative of the ministry of social services present at all times in the police station to help victims receive the help, protection and support they need – instantly. I believed this would be a small step in the right direction to help with the rising cases of domestic violence.
I would like to stretch a bit further to underscore that domestic violence does occur with alcohol abuse. Too many drunken partners come home from the bar intoxicated and in a mess. Finally, I call on the police force to do their part since they are the first and the entity that can help to reduce the numbers of domestic violence in Guyana. If we fail to act now we are at risk of losing more of our women to domestic violence.