A good start- but women need even more protection.        

On behalf of the Organization for Abused and Battered Individuals I would like to commend Justice Seepersad and his recent ruling in the Therese Ho vs Lendl Simmons case.   This ruling is in keeping with the Judiciary’s responsibility to develop the common law to keep pace with the rapidly changing landscape of modern society.
            Moreover the learned Justice Seepersad used this case to as a platform to speak on some of the pressing moral issues of our time.  Justice Seepersad asked the poignant question
“how are we to build a developed nation when we encourage and celebrate disrespect?”
            Considering that statistics show that almost half of all women killed our country in 2012 were killed by intimate partner violence, any moves towards greater respect for women are welcomed.
            This case also highlights the archaic state of our legislation and its inability to provide comprehensive protection to Trinbago’s most vulnerable citizens.
            I am calling on the government to push for law reform in order to curb gender based violence especially violence against women and children. Greater support must be given to victims of gender based violence to protect them from victimization when they attempt to report crimes perpetrated against them.
            At present insufficient support is given to victims of abuse in criminal matters. I have heard of instances where survivors of rape did not receive much needed counseling despite their case being in the courts for many years.
            I would also like to advocate for legislation to allow persons to carry non lethal weapons such as pepper spray to help deter criminal attacks.

Published in the Express and Guardian October 28th 2015

Baby’s death a call to action- End violence against children in Trinbago

 The recent death of 11 month old Mikyle Ramnath must not be forgotten in 9 days like so many others have.  Many children have perished at the hands of abusers including Sean Luke and Akiel Chambers to name a few.
                Recently on social media a video was released showing the most heinous acts of violence being perpetrated against a 2 year old child. The outrage at these acts in our country is almost universal.
  

However we must move beyond outrage to action.
 That action must not be unplanned and chaotic but based on sound research and strategy with the hopes of achieving real change.
                More support is needed for policies and programs to reduce violence against our society’s most vulnerable members.
                NGOs and Government initiatives like the Children’s Authority have done good work in this area but these groups are overworked and sorely underfunded.
                I am calling on the government particularly the Prime Minister, the Minister of Gender and Youth Affairs to adopt a zero tolerance policy on child abuse. If evidence is found of child endangerment the Police should  use their authority and remove the child from the abusive environment and into protective custody.  I call on the private sector to support the troops fighting in the trenches against child abuse. As a director in the Organization for Abused and Battered Individuals our team literally has to beg for money to fund our programs. This should not be so.
                We often see the same corporations that reject our funding proposals throw millions behind carnival fetes and other endeavors that do nothing to benefit society.  This is simply because our culture is hypocritical and values bacchanal over substance.
                I am calling on the population at large to get educated to be our Nation's and children's keeper on the issue and volunteer with groups who have been fighting against it for years and report incidents to the relevant hotlines. Stop the "ole" talk and start being the change you want to see in the world.
                We must do better and be better as a culture and as a nation.If we fail to change more children will die needlessly and their blood will be on our collective hands. Have we truly become a desensitized population or will we stand up and be our neighbors or children's keeper?

By Jonathan Bhagan and Daychelle Morris

Letter of the Day in the Sunday express 25th October 2015 , also published in the Guardian .

Rape in Church :- Wolves among the Flock

 Rape in Church :- Wolves among the Flock

This is an open letter to all Religious Institutions on behalf of the Victim’s Advocates Community. 

All religious institutions have the duty to protect their congregation and advocate against the evils of sex crimes.
I would like to call on all religious institutions to ensure that their staff are equipped with the training and knowledge necessary to assist victims of sex crimes. 
            Furthermore, I would like to encourage religious leaders and their support staff to be especially mindful of sensitive cases where instances of rape or sexual violence are occur among their congregations.  
            Every major religious institution should codify a policy to deal with victims of sex crimes. The aim of such a policy should be to encourage an atmosphere of openness and honesty where victims can come forward and receive the support necessary to make reports to the police.
            It is an unfortunate fact that religious institutions worldwide have in the past attempted to protect sex offenders among their leadership and not the victims. In order to prevent this we must continue having conversations about sex crimes and increase our awareness of the issues. 
            Globally the World Health Organization has found that 1 in 3 women experience physical or sexual violence mostly from intimate partners.             
            In the local rape case of Gregory Donner v The State Cr. A. No. 25 of 2005 we see a tragedy unfold within a church community.  The victim of the rape in this case knew her rapist by meeting him at church. The rapist attended church services 3 times a week. The rape itself occurred just before the young persons were to attend a church camp.
            At paragraph 36 deals with the evidence given by the pastor of the church detailing  what the victim said to her after the rape occurred. Overall, this case highlights the fact that sex crimes do occur among religious congregations in Trinidad and Tobago despite a lack of hard statistics to provide further information. 
            In my personal experience, I have actually seen a male pedophile who was previously charged but not convicted for sexual offences attempting to groom young girls in a church.  The pedophile in question was a member of the lay-staff in charge of the collection basket, ironically in a similar position to Judas Iscariot.
              Sex crimes are therefore a threat that religious institutions need to address comprehensively.  It is imperative that research be conducted on this area and with regards to all issues relating to sex crimes to inform stakeholders how best to address the issue.
            In closing, I would like to call on all religious leaders to work more closely with the NGO community and other stakeholders on this issue to ensure that  the necessary emotional and spiritual support is given to victims in a nonjudgmental environment.


This letter was published in the Sunday Guardian 11th of October 2015