The Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE) and Raise Your Voice St. Lucia join forces to raise awareness and advocate on behalf of the women, girls and gender non-conforming people who are victims and survivors of gender-based- violence. We acknowledge the need to emphasise the impact of gender-based violence and the link to securing and protecting the rights of all people, particularly women and girls and marginalised communities.
From November 25th, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the global initiative is raising awareness at the local, national and international levels. This year, under the theme «Orange the World; End Violence against Women Now!».
Catherine Sealys, Executive Director of RYV says, «This year ‘Raise Your Voice’ Saint Lucia focuses on the number of women who have been killed due to gender-based violence in Saint Lucia from 1994 to present. Over the 16 days it has been quite an eye opener for many as they weren’t aware so many people have been killed. In many instances there has not been any justice, no one has been arrested or knows what is happening. The children and family of these victims are wondering who killed their mother, sister, aunty etc»
«The project will go beyond 16 days due to the amount of women we have lost; we were quite surprised at the number of women. We call on the government to activate a cold case unit so that they can revisit those murders that are a consequence of gender-based violence so that families can get some resolution. We would also like them to acknowledge the fact that 7 members of the LGBT community have been killed and there is no recognition that these may possibly be hate crimes and there has been no justice. Justice is one of the key tenets of human rights and if a society can’t dispense justice, impunity has prevailed and the society suffers».
«Reducing inequalities and Advancing human rights” is the theme for Human Rights Day 2021. ECADE and RYV ask that the government and policy makers act swiftly to reduce existing inequalities and begin the process to advancing human rights for all despite sex, race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity etc.»
According to ECADE’s Kenita Placide, «It is sobering to acknowledge the reality of the existing- and persisting- inequalities, which, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have escalated in frequency, intensity and visibility. The facts continue to fly in our faces. One need only think of the rapid accumulation of incidents of gender based violence (GBV), an ugly reality, or the inclusion we lack – perhaps in some instances the exclusion that is promulgated – which tends to render LGBTQI+ people, migrants, indigenous and tribal people, the disabled, minors, the elderly, women, among other groups, devoid of the necessary tools to stay afloat».
This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day and December 1, World AIDS Day. The dates of the campaign were chosen specifically to show that gender-based-violence is a violation of human rights. It aims to ensure that women and gender-non-conforming people are treated fairly and equally and that the justice system acts swiftly in addressing issues of violence against women and girls and gender-based violence.
ECADE and Raise Your Voice continue to advocate for a domestic violence bill in Saint Lucia that can be used to bring the perpetrators of gender-based violence to justice.
