When silence becomes a sentence

In Barbados, we often say, “We small, so everybody know everybody business.” Yet when it comes to violence against women and girls, people may whisper, but few speak openly. And too often, that silence becomes a sentence of death or imprisonment — of the innocents.

The latest United Nations data on femicide shows just how grave the situation is. Every ten minutes, a woman somewhere in the world is killed by someone she knows. In 2024, 83 000 women and girls were intentionally killed, and 50 000 of them died at the hands of intimate partners or family members. These figures are not abstract global numbers; they echo the lived realities of thousands of women across the Caribbean.

Regional and international agencies such as UN Women, UNDP, CARICOM, and UNICEF have repeatedly shown that psychological and emotional abuse remain the most commonly reported forms of violence, with severe underreporting masking the full picture in countries like Barbados. In societies as intimate and interconnected as ours, many survivors stay silent to avoid shame, judgement, or retaliation.

But even as we grapple with long-standing patterns of domestic violence, new forms of harm are rapidly emerging. Technology-facilitated abuse: cyberstalking, harassment, digital monitoring, manipulated images, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate photos, is becoming alarmingly common across the Eastern Caribbean. You may not hear her cry out the way you would with physical blows, but digital abuse cuts just as deep.

Running from Tuesday, November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) to December 10 (Human Rights Day), the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence — is the Orange Campaign, which calls for global solidarity to end violence against women and girls everywhere. It is within this context that Soroptimist International of Barbados (SIB) launches this year’s Orange Campaign: Illuminate the Silence.

Supported by Screenplay Advertising Ltd and Clarity Media, the campaign uses island-wide LED digital screens to confront Barbadians with messages of awareness and solidarity.

SIB President Patrice Alleyne has underscored the urgency of a national response, noting that violence against women is “evolving — not disappearing,” particularly with the rise of digital misogyny and online harassment. Her point is well taken: Barbados must adapt its systems, laws, and protections to meet the realities of violence in 2025 — not 1995.

Still, the responsibility does not rest on government or advocacy groups alone.

If we are serious about combating gender-based violence, we must acknowledge the role families, communities, schools, workplaces, churches, and cultural norms play in reinforcing or challenging harmful behaviours. Too often, violence is dismissed as “family business”, shame keeps survivors silent, and public sympathy arrives only after the worst happens.

The 16 Days of Activism offers more than an opportunity to wear orange or illuminate buildings. It offers a moment for Barbados to examine the values we live by and the silences we allow to persist. Men and boys must be part of the solution, not passive observers. Institutions must be proactive, not reactive. And as a society, we must become far more willing to intervene, support, and protect.

Because a nation cannot be considered safe if its women and girls are not safe in their homes, in their communities, or on their devices.