Minister Forde announces awareness campaign on gender-based violence  

The Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs is continuing to push for greater awareness of gender-based violence.

Speaking during a service to commemorate International Women’s Day on Sunday, Minister Adrian Forde referred to a recent survey by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which he said showed the need for continued public discussion and action on violence against women and other vulnerable groups.

“Coming out of these discussions, what we have realised is that there is still a very real need for public sensitisation and discourse, and we don’t probably need our IDB survey to tell us that,” he told the congregation at the Ellerton Wesleyan Holiness Church in St George.

Some members of the congregation.

“There is still a need for public discussion about gender-based violence and violence against vulnerable categories in this country, but the survey told us what we suspected – that there is still the threat of gender-based violence, the ugly threat of it.”

As part of the awareness drive, the ministry has begun placing messages across the island, including at bus stops and on billboards.

“We have started across the country to put the ads on the bus stops, using them as billboards and short videos signifying the importance of respecting our women and our vulnerable groups,” Forde explained.

“There are 11 so far, and we intend to go across the country because we believe that we must be sensitive to the role, the virtuous role, that women play in our society.”

The minister also highlighted initiatives aimed at empowering women economically and socially, including an entrepreneurship expo held on Saturday.

“Yesterday, we had the Entrepreneurial Expo, with over 20 young entrepreneurs, including persons with disabilities, showcasing their products so that we can create an entrepreneurial atmosphere,” he said.

However, Forde acknowledged that despite progress, women continue to face significant inequalities.

“Issues such as underpaid workers, some may even be unpaid, place a disproportionate burden on women. The onus, therefore, is upon us as a society to recognise these challenges and work together to find the solutions.”

He noted that the issue is even more pressing as family structures continue to evolve, pointing to the number of households led by women.

“Approximately 42 per cent of households in Barbados are headed by single females. That’s almost half of the households in Barbados managed by single women. This is not a figure that we should be proud of,” he said.

Forde said the recently launched Social Empowerment Agency will play a key role in addressing these challenges and strengthening support systems for families.

“We are saying that our ministry, by our actions, will commit to this empowerment theme that I just spoke about. We will continue to have that trust in partnership with the women and the women’s organisations.”

He stressed that the goal is to ensure women can access government services and opportunities equally.

“The bottom line is that women must be able to benefit. They must be able to enjoy all the opportunities associated with this country in an equitable way,” Forde ended. (LG)