Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary general Irwin LaRocque is urging regional countries as well as non-governmental organizations to host events in support of the activities marking the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
In a statement ahead of the International day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Sunday, LaRocque said he was encouraging the governments and other stakeholders to host the events with local, national, regional and global women’s movements, survivor advocates and women human rights defenders.
He said these activities should create opportunities for sharing personal stories to stimulate dialogue among activists, policy-makers and the public.
“During this 16-day Campaign, people around the world, especially women, are mobilizing to ensure that they can enjoy the full complement of their human rights. But women and girls cannot do it alone. Men and boys must become involved.
“We all have a shared responsibility in achieving gender equality which will allow our women and girls in our Caribbean region an opportunity to live their lives free of violence,” he said.
Data is needed
The region’s top public servant said “Data is needed on all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls. There is also a need for multidisciplinary research and analysis on the structural and underlying causes of, and risk factors for violence, its types and prevalence, in order to inform the development and revision of laws.”
Surveys on Caribbean gender-based violence
LaRocque said for the first time, Caribbean countries are engaged in prevalence surveys on gender-based violence. These surveys are being conducted with the collaborative efforts of UN Women, the CARICOM Secretariat and several international partners. The Trinidad and Tobago’s Prevalence Survey was completed in May 2018, and Jamaica’s in June. Surveys are in progress in Grenada and Suriname with Guyana scheduled to launch theirs in January 2019.
LaRocque said the 16 days of activism incorporate four important observances, starting with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls on November 25,; Human Rights Defenders Day on November 29,; World AIDS Day, on December 1, with the campaign ending on Human Rights Day on December 10.
This year’s theme is “Orange the World: #Hear Me Too; End Violence Against Women and Girls.” LaRocque said the color orange was chosen “as a bright, unifying color which represents a future free of violence for women and girls.
