The Tribune

THIS year, the Bahamas Crisis Centre is celebrating 30 years of advocacy and steadfast service to victims of violence.

A major highlight of the year is hosting a regional peace conference to bring together the Crisis Centres and other NGOs from throughout the region, to share strategies and discuss challenges facing all of us in the Caribbean, in combating gender based violence.

Delegates will represent 16 Caribbean nations; speakers and presenters will represent the United States and the United Nations.

Prime Minister Perry Christie will officially open the conference on Tuesday, September 18, at 6pm.

The conference, under the theme: “Creating partnerships and solutions to transform our homes and communities”, will be held September 18 – 22, 2012 at the Sheraton Cable Beach Resort.

The objectives are to:

• Deepen our understanding of the causes, consequences of, and best practice responses to gender based violence.

• Explore culturally appropriate prevention strategies.

• Share approaches for sustainable peace building.

• Bring together Crisis Centres throughout the Caribbean for networking opportunities.

• Facilitate partnerships between men’s and women’s organisations.

“Over the past 30 years, the Bahamas Crisis Centre has been at the forefront of promoting intervention and education efforts around the prevention of all forms of abuse. We facilitate and promote the safety and healing of survivors of sexual and domestic violence and their families; raise consciousness to the adverse effects of violence on the quality of life; fight for legislative and societal change; challenge relevant agencies to foster appropriate and sensitive responses to these issues; advocate for the protection of victims of sexual aggression and promote healthy relationships,” said the Crisis Centre in a statement.

In planning this conference, the Crisis Centre was inspired by an Ashanti proverb that says, “The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people”.

Centre officials said they hope the conference will not only provide an opportunity for retooling and energising those who work in the area of gender based violence, but will also be catalyst to create and nurture a movement of peace throughout the region.