The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

WITH police reporting a drop in incidents of domestic violence last year, some activists fear more cases of abuse and domestic incidents are going unreported.

Khandi Gibson, founder and president of the local advocacy group Families of All Murder Victims (FOAM), believes these incidents increased during COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions.

“Even our organisation had its fair share of people calling us wanting a place to vent and a place of refuge, to come and pick them up and get them out of their domestic situation,” she explained.

“Like I said it could even be more too (going unreported).

“They probably were ashamed. Persons were ashamed and embarrassed about what transpired with their situation.

“You can hop in your car and go anywhere before COVID-19. COVID-19 came with lockdowns and curfews therefore you would’ve been confined to being in the same house or in an environment as someone who would’ve once made you frustrated or got you angry. You couldn’t just pack up and leave.”

On Monday, Commissioner Paul Rolle said overall cases where domestic violence was a factor decreased by 39 percent with 2,436 incidents reported compared to 2019 when 3,972 incidents were recorded.

Marisa Mason-Smith, director of Zonta Club Bahamas, said in many cases women are not empowered to leave violent relationships.

“They stay in the relationship because they have nowhere to turn. They have no resources. They cannot maintain themselves – they have children.

“So many times people stay in abusive relationships just because, and part of our work at Zonta is to advance and empower women so that they’re able to take care of themselves and their children.

“We’ve also seen last year several mothers who were killed at the hands of domestic violence and we are very concerned about….we are seeing an increased trend in Abaco just early this new year we’ve seen an increase in domestic violence in some of our Family Islands.”

On Monday a woman was found lying on the ground with blunt force trauma injuries sustained to the head. Assistant Superintendent Audley Peters told reporters it is a possibility that the incident may be domestic based on the evidence.

Earlier this month, 18-year-old Jilny Flereume was shot and killed at her home in Abaco.

Mother-of-seven Angelita Pritchard was killed during an alleged domestic dispute in Abaco on Boxing Day last year.

In another incident last year, a New Providence mother and her young child were killed in a domestic dispute.