The Tribune

THE Zonta Club of New Providence has called on lawmakers to establish a special court to hear domestic and child abuse cases, so these matters can be heard swiftly.

Yesterday, Central Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis also spoke out against domestic violence, saying stronger laws are needed to protect women and a safe house for victims is also needed.

The calls were made after CCTV video spread on social media this week, showing the extent of the brutal attack on a woman by a man known to her.

Police have said the incident, which took place on Key West Street, was a domestic dispute. The woman was attacked in the street while holding a young child. Bystanders intervened and one removed the young child from her arms. However, her attacker returned moments later and ran over her with his car.

The Zonta Club said: “ZCNP also calls on the parliamentarians to urgently do all that is necessary to put in place a specialised court for domestic and child abuse matters where justice can be safely and swiftly achieved. The nation’s health requires this.”

ZCNP is currently in the midst of its “16 Days to End Gender-Based Violence” campaign. This is an international campaign, backed by the United Nations. It runs from November 25, the International Day to End Violence Against Women and Girls, to December 10, International Human rights Day.

For his part, Mr Lewis said he is outraged by Monday’s attack.

“I was horrified by what I viewed in the video and to me, violence is never the answer towards another human being, and particularly not one of the opposite sex,” Mr Lewis said in a statement.

“A person should never permit themselves to become so engaged that they abuse someone physically and mentally.

“As the father of daughters, a brother, and an uncle, I cannot understand what would invoke such rage. Nothing can justify that. We are supposed to be the protectors, the defenders of women, not the ones doing the attacking.

“Women are one of the greatest assets we have in this country. They are our mothers, the ones that bring our children into the world. They are the ones that keep our families together. We, as men, should be protecting and respecting them.

“We need to bring stronger laws onto our books to protect our women, and we should also provide at least one safe house per populated island for them. “Unfortunately, many women who feel stuck in abusive relationships because they feel they cannot make it on their own. We need to find ways to assist them so that like in the video, young ladies are not exposed to this type of violence.

“. . .I will be saying more on the matter in the coming weeks after consultation with various women’s organizations so that collectively we can tackle this and many other social issues facing our society. My thoughts and prayers are with the young mother who I understand is in very serious condition.”