B’dos and UN partner on project to stamp out gender-based violence

Barbados has recorded an increase in reported cases of domestic violence during the recent COVID-19 lockdown, many of which were intimate partner violence.

Representative of the UN WOMEN Multi-Country Office Caribbean, Tonni Brodber, said today that in March 2020 there was a 125 per cent increase in domestic violence cases, and in April 2020 an 88 per cent rate had been reported.

Speaking during the virtual launch of the Gender-Based Violence in the Workplace Project, a partnership between the Ministry of Labour and Social Partnership Relations and UN Women, Brodber said Barbados’ statistics were a reflection of an increase in domestic violence reports across the OECS during the lockdown.

“We are noting a trend. The data only takes us through the first two quarters of 2020. But I do believe it says a lot about the COVID lockdown, and the associated employment, family, and overall wellbeing, burdens and responses,” she said.

The specialist said that the partnership was relevant because using the workplace as a site of control by perpetrators of intimate partner violence has been practiced in the Caribbean and not just internationally, according to statistics.

She said many women who were murdered as a result of gender-based violence were killed at their workplace.

“In 2018, a 36-year-old woman was fatally stabbed in Barbados outside of her workplace by her estranged partner. In 2020, in Trinidad and Tobago, a man who was separated from his wife, that same wife who had received a protection order, a week before, was murdered in the parking lot of her workplace,” she said.

Brodber indicated that as a survivor of domestic violence who spoke at the launch noted, leaving the relationship does not mean the abuse ends, and many times its a dangerous ending. Brodber said, perpetrators turn up at their estranged partner, or current partner’s, workplaces, because they know they would find them there.

She said while domestic violence may lead to legal issues in the workplace, there was a need to make sure that measures were put in place for adequate family and medical leave laws that require employers to grant leave to employees who are coping with domestic violence.

She said Barbados was ahead of the game in introducing legislation that speaks to addressing gender-based violence

“While Barbados has not yet ratified Convention 190 or Convention 189 on Domestic Work, it is incredible that the Government of Barbados is taking the steps outlined in the convention already. Steps that are noted also in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women,” she said.

Brodber said through the Gender-Based Project, UN WOMEN and the Ministry of Labour would collaborate to enhance knowledge on gender-based violence in Barbados by developing toolkits, manuals, training aids, as well as building greater awareness of the different conventions.

“We will also support the development of an understanding of what the economic costs of violence are. We need prevalence data in Barbados to be able to do that and that is what we hope to do. We will not be successful without collaborating with the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), Domestic Workers Division for the development of specific policies on gender-based violence as well.

“Finally, we plan to support the development of a charter in order to effect a change in the culture relating to gender-based violence in Barbados. And it is proposed that the charter be established with the social partnership of Barbados, in an effort to give more prominence to the issue of gender-based violence,” Brodber said.

Minister of Labour and Social Relations Colin Jordan, who also delivered remarks at the event, reported that as Barbados continues to fight against gender-based violence, his ministry was working on plans to introduce omnibus anti-discrimination legislation in Barbados.

Jordan said successive governments have been committed to advancing legislation to address aspects of violence and harassment meted out to individuals in domestic spaces or the workplace.

The minister said, the Domestic Violence Protection Orders Amendment 2016, the Employment Sexual Harassment Act, and the Employment Prevention of Discrimination, were among the legislation implemented to combat the issue of gender-based violence in the workplace.

“The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the significant increase in joblessness over the past year, has the potential to cause an increase in gender-based violence and indeed has caused an increase in gender-based violence. Many people have been hesitant to report such cases because of dependency.

“Across the world, lockdowns, stay-at-home orders implemented during this period to combat the pandemic have led to what the United Nations has called a shadow pandemic of rising gender-based violence.

“It should be noted that in an effort to combat these challenges, this partnership with UN WOMEN will provide the opportunity for Barbadian workers, especially those who may find themselves in situations, to be exposed to sensitivity training through this programme,” Jordan said. (anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb)