914 hotline soon for persons suffering domestic abuse

The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security is launching a 914 hotline for persons who are experiencing domestic abuse.

Minister Hon. Dr. Vindhya Persaud told DPI the objective of the initiative is to create a safe space for male and female victims of domestic abuse to seek help. Through the hotline, professional counselling will be made available via collaboration with the Ministry’s Domestic Violence Unit and the Childcare and Protection Agency.

“We do not want to lose persons who might reach out for help and somehow or the other, they get lost in the system, so we will train our operators as a way to strengthen our system. It will also be looking at our human resources capacity and improving, increasing and strengthening that to be able to decentralise the services we offer,” Minister Persaud said.

This initiative is part of the Ministry’s upcoming 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence, which begins on November 25.

The Minister said the Government’s recent agreement with the Spotlight Initiative will help to tighten the gaps in its programmes by examining factors of violence such as triggers, cultural behaviour and others.

To this end, Minister Persaud said she will soon engage with all relevant stakeholders to determine their roles to ensure the programmes are not only effective but accessible. This will include awareness and education exercises, which are important in changing mindsets.

“It would require collaborations with several organisations. We will have to work with the police, legal systems, counselling people so our Survivors’ Advocacy which is a new programme, is going to walk people through the stages of reporting to the conclusion of whatever the case is,” she added.

To advance this initiative, the Ministry is hiring 24-hour hotline operators in Regions Three and Four to provide support.  Interested persons must possess a diploma in social work, psychology, sociology or a related discipline from a recognised university, plus a minimum of three years experience in social work or a human service setting.  Applications can be sent to sodvpu@gmail.com no later than 16:00h on Saturday, November 21, 2020. More information is also available on the Ministry’s Facebook page.