75 per cent domestic violence cases unreported – Region Six Chairman

Chairman of East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six), David Armogan, said over 75 percent of cases of domestic violence across Guyana, are not reported to the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

Armogan was part of a panel discussion on Monday, when the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security took its 16 days of activism against gender-based violence to the Rose Hall, Canje Community Centre Ground.

The chairman highlighted an astounding increase in domestic violence cases from the year 2019 to 2021.

“If you looked at some of the figures that the police have put out for the last two years, in 2019, there were just about 1,500 reported cases of violence against women. If you look at the 2020 numbers it shows an increase from 1,500 to almost 1,762 cases. And if you look at the 2021 figures, it is almost past that already.

Now, one of the things that we find is that although these are the number of cases reported to the police, it is much, much more than that because that is just about 25 per cent of the real problem. Seventy -five percent is not reported to the police for various reasons.”

In an effort to tackle the alarming figures, the Human Services Ministry has joined forces with the Ministry of Home Affairs in launching COPSQUAD2000. The initiative will train 2,000 police officers in domestic violence to ensure reported cases are treated with urgency.

COPSQUAD officers are easily identified, linked the ministry’s 914-emergency hotline and will be placed in every region to assist victims.

To further mitigate violence and assist victims, the ministry will be launching a community advocate network labelled “I CAN”.  This initiative will combat violence from an individual, family, community and country level, with the aid of survivors’ advocates.

Survivors’ advocates have the responsibility of informing victims of their rights and services available to them. They are also accessible to persons through the 914-toll free hotline.

Advocates will be provided with a survivor’s kit to assist women who may be forced to evacuate their homes because of an abusive relationship. 

Additionally, the panel discussion touched on the various dimensions of domestic violence through an interactive session with residents of Regions Five and Six.

Police officers were also in attendance to provide information on services that are available to victims of domestic violence, as well as to address the concerns raised by victims who face difficulties when reporting their experiences.

On Tuesday, the ministry will meet with residents in the mining town of Linden, Region Ten, to spread awareness on domestic violence and listen to the concerns raised by citizens.

Other activities planned during the 16 days of activism can be found on the ministry’s Facebook page.