The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development hosted a training session Friday for its Relief Task Force as it seeks to take proactive measures in the fight against curbing domestic violence.

So far, the task force has 35 people, State Minister Lisa Rahming said, adding that volunteers would also be included to assist.

Friday’s event was held at the National Training Agency at Gladstone Road.

“So, it’s going to be progressing,” she said Friday. “There (is) so much because persons who are going to be a part of the task force need to know and certainly, they cannot learn that in one day, but we wanna give them the basics of what to look for, how to identify when they go from door-to-door. Persons who may possibly be in an abusive situation.”

Ms Rahming explained that despite this event being compacted to one day, there would be other similar events, which were anticipated to be more exhaustive. Those events also would be hosted for more than one day.

The session comes in the aftermath of Heavenly Terveus’s murder last Saturday. The 21-year-old was shot to death by Fenron Ferguson, her boyfriend and the father of her child. He also died in hospital in the days following her death after turning the weapon on himself on that tragic day.

It reignited national discussions about gender-based violence.

Ms Rahming noted the significance of initiatives like this one as it is a step toward being more proactive.

“This is very important. We want to be more proactive. I am tired of hearing somebody's killed and then we’re like what do we do next or somebody was beaten they’re in the hospital. I realise that we have to go out - our team realises that. Let’s do something first to stop it. Like I said, we might not be able to help everybody. If we help one person, I feel like efforts will not be in vain.”

Anne Marie Davis, wife of Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis commended the minister for taking this “bold step forward so quickly”. She further gave thanks for organising the event and launching the task force.

“It is always bad when our men believe that the first option in resolving a conflict is with a barrel of a gun or a weapon,” Mrs Davis said. “It is equally bad when the perpetrator brandishes a weapon and fires shots in the direction of those who attempt to peacefully intervene in the name of peace and human dignity. It is equally bad and evil will flourish when these threats of violence, acts of intimidation designed to silence the peace makers succeed.”

She added: “We all acknowledge with regret the unacceptable level of cases of domestic violence, especially against our women. Domestic abuse in their many incarnations and manifestations are socially unacceptable (and) culturally intolerable. Therefore, all of civil society must join hands, place all hands-on deck. All hands must be on deck. All shoulders to the wheel in this national fight to save our girls, boys, and men as all victims and perpetrators are losers and are victims when all of us fall victim to domestic abuse and gender violence.”

Dr Eric Fox, anger management consultant, said that violence is learnt and anger is an indicator.

“Anger is an indicator to us or to men or to people in general that there’s something deeper going on and it’s something that they need to talk about. However, we have a communication problem in this country when it comes to men. They cannot find words to put to how they feel,” he said.

“When they run out of words, they start to punch and fight. So, this training is giving them words to put to how they can communicate better other than being violent. We’re gonna talk about the different levels of anger. We’re gonna talk about our behavioural signs. There are things you do when you become angry, so we want them to pay attention to themselves.”

The minister of state also had a strong message for detractors.

“Anyone who fights or intends to fight the efforts that what we intend to put in today I want to ask you where is your heart? People are dying today.

“They are depending on us. We don’t need 20 Zoom meetings, 18 emails, 15 talks before we could get on the ground and I make no apologies for this. We have to do this now. They are depending on us and I say to you to be a part of this. Don’t be a part of the nay-sayers. Embrace this,” she urged.