A Look At Gender Based Violence:

A Caribbean Perspective

Presented by BPW Barbados– Marrianne Burnham, PresidentPatricia Seale – Shelter Director

Marrianne BurnhamPresident, BPW Barbados MarBurn Health & Communications

Patricia Seale, BPW BarbadosClinical Psychologist

Patricia Seale has been a domestic violence advocate for over 18 years in USA, and Barbados providing services as a clinician, supervisor, administrator, researcher and educator/trainer. She had worked in the mental health field with experience in assessment and treatment of psychological trauma in inpatient and community based programs.    She has served as Director of the BPW Shelter for Abused Women and a member of BPW Barbados since 2001. She has represented Barbados and has been a trainer at regional and international conferences on domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking. She was part of the Barbados’ team who won the Gertrude Mongella Award at the 2008 BPW International Congress and hosted the “Say NO to Violence Workshop at the Congress”. She advises on issues relating to “at risk” individuals and is wholly committed to mentoring and empowering adults and youth to overcome obstacles through their victimization and ultimately regain their self-esteem. She is a Barbadian registered Counselling Psychologist, a US Certified Counselor, trainer and educator who holds a graduate degree in Counseling and diplomas in public administration and education.

Since 2008, Ms. Burnham has been a member of the Business and Professional Women's Club of Barbados (BPW Barbados), an affiliate of BPW International which develops the professional, leadership and business potential of women on all levels through advocacy, mentoring, networking, skill building and economic empowerment programmes and projects around the world.  President for the 2012-2015 term, the extensive work of BPW has become a new calling for her with a special personal interest in gender and health. Ms. Burnham is a member of Barbados’ National Task Force on Human Trafficking and plays an active role in the flagship Gender-Based Violence projects of the organization. She is proud to be overseeing the opening of the BPW Crisis & Resource Centre as part of a Reduce GBV & HIV project; the first walk-in multi-service centre of its kind in Barbados. Ms. Burnham is looking forward to “getting back to business” with a strong focus on women’s economic empowerment.

About BPW BarbadosThe Business & Professional Women’s Club of Barbados (Est. 1966), is a “status-of-women” organisation and a chapter of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women. BPW Barbados focuses on elevating the status of women, through training & development, business & entrepreneurship, improvements in health & freedom from violence. “Empowered Women Leading Business” is our theme for the 2012-2015 term. Current programmes focus on advocacy & capacity building to promote economic and social empowerment in women and girls. Gender-Based Violence is a speciality of BPW Barbados having operated Barbados’ only Crisis Centre & Shelter for many years.

BPW Barbados Accomplishments 2014: Opened a One-Stop-Shop Crisis & Resource Centre - USA

PEPFAR-GBV/ HIV Grant; Awarded HR Development 2012: Appointed to National Task Force on Human Trafficking; Collaborated

with the local artistes in the UN’s UNiTE Campaign. 2011: Implementation of Children’s Counselling & Intervention Programme:

individual and group therapy for children accompanying their mothers in the Shelter.

2005: Lead agency chosen to partner with the Barbados Bureau of Gender Affairs & International Organisation on Migration for an island-wide Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign trafficking

2003: First annual collaboration began with The Albert Schweitzer Institute of Quinnipiac University, Connecticut,USA to host faculty and graduate students for volunteer capacity building seminar with local law enforcement,social workers, crisis intervention workers and individuals in the pertinent areas of Gender Based Violence.

1998: Shelter for Abused Women opened with the assistance of the Barbados Government. Shelter provides a safehouse for women & children with various counselling & intervention services.

1997: Crisis Centre is created in response to the need for further community outreach, education & intervention services in the area of Gender Based Violence.

1986: Crisis Hotline established for victims of rape. Today it is a 24-hour hotline for victims of all forms of violence.

Dame Maizie Barker-Welch

Past Regional Coordinator, BPW International

The Hon. Maizie Irene Barker-Welch, BCH, CHB, (Barbados Centennial Honour, Companion Honour of Barbados), and avid promoter of women's causes, was born in Barbados on September 17,1927. Her teaching career spans the St. Bernard's School, the St. Gabriel Girls' School; the Foundation Girls' School; the Ursuline Convent and Codrington High School. She was a Dorothy Cadbury Fellow at Selly Oak University in Birmingham, UK, in 1982-83. Hon. Barker-Welch was Vice President and President of the Barbados National Organisation of Women (NOW) founded in 1970; NOW's representative in the Caribbean Women's Association (CARIWA) and Barbados' representative at the first UN Conference for Women on Population Development in 1973. She was Barbados' delegate to the Inter American Commission of Women in 1986-1994, President of the Business and Professional Women's Club of Barbados, and Regional Coordinator for the English speaking Caribbean and USA, Canada - attending its worldwide conferences. In 1986, Hon. Barker-Welch entered Parliament as the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) representative for the St. Joseph Constituency. She was appointed Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Community Development, also serving in other ministries including the Ministry for Women's Affairs. She was appointed Senator from 1991-1994.

Past President, BPW Barbados

Who We Work With The Government of Barbados The Royal Barbados Police Force Social Service Agencies/ NGOs

◦Family Planning, C’bean HIV Alliance, National Organisation of Women

Gender Institute, University of the West Indies

USA Embassy European Union UN Women, UNFPA

Presentation OutlineGender Based Violence (GBV) in the CaribbeanChallenges and similarities of doing work

around GBV Barriers to seeking services & the challenges

that arise when they do. The Barbados One-Stop-Shop Model -

multidisciplinary, coordinated response to GBV & other Models in the Caribbean

The Economic Impact of GBV - VAW Cost Calculator

New Trends in Prevention Useful online resources  

Definition of Gender Based Violence “Any act of gender-based

violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”

UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (DEVAW) adopted by General Assembly 1993

Gender Based ViolenceGBV may constitute A violation of women’s human

rights,◦the right to life, ◦the right to equal protection under

the law◦ the right to equality in the family◦ the right to the highest standard

attainable of physical and mental health.

Source: CEDAW General Recommendation No. 19 on VAW

Types of Violence Verbal PhysicalEmotionalPsychologicalSexualFinancial

Factors related to GBV Pattern of abusive behaviours in any relationship

Used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner.

Include physical, sexual, emotional, economic, spiritual or psychological abuse

Purpose is to intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound another person

Varies in frequency and severity

Occurs on a continuum, one hit that may or may not impact the victim to chronic severe battering.

Tension Building Phase

Explosion

Reconciliation

Honeymoon

Fear

Love

Denial

Abuser apologies, blames victim, gives excuses, denies it happened or its not that bad

Incident finished, calm, idealised & romantic

Verbal, physical, emotional, sexual, financial actual abuse

Minor verbal/physical abuse, victim feel tension, breakdown in communication, feels like walking on eggshells, tries to control situation, longest phase

The Cycle of Violence (Walker)

STATISTICS

Globally, 1 out of every 3 women (35%) will experience sexual and/or physical abuse in her lifetime, and 30% will experience violence at the hands of an intimate partner.

A Note on Economic Impact

Country Cost of Domestic ViolenceU.S. economy more than $5.8

billionUnited Kingdom £23 billion per

yearAustralia - A$8.1 billion Canada - CAN$4.2 billion,Caribbean Cost - ??????

Cost of ViolenceEstimates of the costs of violence

against women are so high that a lower percentage of some countries’ Gross Domestic Product is spent on primary education than on domestic violence costs. According to the report, the costs of intimate partner violence are driven up by factors like lost income and productivity, health care and police services.

World Bank Report April 2014, Violence against Women

Costs to the Employers -1 Severe financial and economic

burden that domestic violence imposes on victims, households, the public sector, private businesses, and society as a whole. 

Domestic violence significantly impedes economic growth and development

Costs to the Employers -2Increased security requirementsLegal fees/liability issuesDecreased productivityDamaged propertySecondary victims are

traumatized or harmedAdministrative/human resources

Impact on Productivity Increased Absenteeism

◦ Physical abuse victims miss an average of 3 days per month

◦ 46% of victims have gone home sick due to stress of victimization

Reduced efficiency◦ 71% report difficulty concentrating while at work◦ 63% say they are unable to perform the job to the best

of their abilities◦ Increased tardiness◦ Use of pain medication for physical injuries

Increase in Job loss/Turnover rate◦ 5-27% of victims report job loss as a direct result of IPV◦ Reasons: shame, fear, child care issues or forced by

abuser to resign

Direct Costs of GBVMeasure the value of goods and

services used to respond to domestic violence, for which there is typically a monetary exchange.

 Direct costs ◦healthcare services,◦social and welfare services, ◦counseling, ◦police and criminal justice services, ◦ legal services, ◦ replacing property damaged by an abuser

Indirect Costs of GBVCapture the effects of domestic

violence with no direct monetary exchange

Most prominent –◦Reduced earnings and lower

productivity◦Victims tend to earn approx. one-

half to two-thirds of what non-abused women earn

Gender Based Violence in the Caribbean 700 islandsEnglish-speaking Caribbean –

stable democracies & independence

Former coloniesSlavery - major part of our historyViolence is part of our culture30-50% of murders in Caribbean –

DV (UWI Gender Studies)

GBV in the Caribbean“Traditional socializing agents of family, church,

and school are being replaced by technology and a popular culture, which promote gratuitous violence and legitimize highly stereotypical models of aggressive masculinity. This aggressive masculinity and homophobia feed into the existing high levels of violence against women, and encourage men to exhibit aggression as their badge of masculinity. The impacts of these trends are exacerbated by the very small size of the islands. Gender based violence seems to be on the increase. A positive trend is that more men are challenging the model of aggressive masculinity.”

Dr. Rosina Wiltshite, UN Gender Advocate, 2012

Combatting Gender Based Violence Strengthening post education

opportunitiesAdvocate for equal payCampaign for equal representation

on national and local levelsIncrease public awareness to the

legal and human rights of individualsInitiate public awareness campaigns

on reproductive health issues and gender-based violence.

Combatting Gender Based ViolenceDevelop policies that address

◦discrimination against women,◦promote gender equality, ◦The safety of women

Changing cultural gender norms Improving economic and social

opportunities for women. Multi-sectoral response.One-Stop- Shop Response

Gender Based Violence in the Caribbean

GBV in the CaribbeanGlobal average rape: 15 per

100,000Three C’bean comprise the top

10 countries with the highest rape incidence worldwide

133 per 100,000 Bahamas112 per 100,000 St. Vincent 51 per 100,000 Jamaica25 per 100,000 Barbados (not in

top 10)

Tackling GBV in the Caribbean

PROGRESS, PROCESS & CONSTRAINTS STRATEGY– COUNTRY ACTIONS PLANS

Context Until the 1990s only general

assault laws protected women from violence.

Since 1990s increase in legislation to qddress domestic violence, sexual violence and abuse;

Few countries have legislation against sexual harrassment.

Statistics:

Countries with Action Plans…

Antigua and Barbuda, Belize Grenada,Jamaica, St.Kitts-Nevis. St. Lucia (not yet finalised).Bahamas ( Preparation just initiated)Barbados (working on National

Policy on Gender)

UNIFEM/UN Women support To women’s groups to support advocacy To governments for reviews of policing and prosecution of

sexual offences To governments (through National Machineries for Women)

for the preparation/revision of legislation To governments (through NMWs)for the preparation of

Country Action Plans (9) Collaboration developed with regional bodies (OECS,

CARICOM, Judicial Education Institute of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP) and Caribbean Ombusdsmen Association.)

Support to development of national protocols (Grenada, Belize)

Men as Champions for Change Behaviour change interventions for male offenders

Constraints to Implementation of Country Action Plans Inadequate institutional capacity of implementing

partners (State, civil society)Variable political will in a context dominated by

patriarchal valuesCost of access to justice to affected women and

girls (including time way from work or care of children, loss of jobs etc)

Socio-economic and cultural constraints (dependency on abusers, access to female bodies as cultural norm etc.)

Sex disaggregated data and statistics are lacking;Financial resource constraints highly indebted

Middle-income countries (all Caribbean except Haiti).

Lessons learned GBV CAPS when developed in a participatory mode

provide focus to efforts and strengthen coordination between groups and across sectors;

Public education and media outreach strengthen advocacy and use of services;

Cultural transformation is the most fundamental and most difficult challenge;

Data and documentation of cases of domestic and sexual violence and abuse is needed to improve evidence –based approaches;

More research is needed into underlying causes of both negative and positive behaviours;

Sharing best practices, models and approaches helps create a multiplier effect;

Monitoring and evaluation and reporting need greater emphasis.

BPW Barbados: Anti-GBV Strategies 1986: Rape Hotline1992: Domestic Violence Legislation1997: Virtual Crisis Centre1999: Shelter for Battered Women2003: Human Trafficking Advocacy 2012: Human Trafficking Task Force2012: Domestic Violence Legislation

Review2014: Crisis & Resource Centre – One

Stop Shop Model

Barbados Model: Crisis & Resource Centre

NGO led model – grant funded Coordinated community response (CCR) model which engages

the entire community in efforts to develop a common understanding of violence against women and to change social norms and attitudes that contribute to violence against women.

Integrated public and private services Public Health Services: Hospital, Polyclinics Private Health Services: Private Clinics, Doctors’ Offices Victims’ Support Services: Hotline, Shelter Services Law Enforcement Legal: Legal Aid & Clinics Social Services: Welfare Faith-Based Organisations

Barbados Model: One-Stop-Shop – Services

Advocates◦ Domestic violence advocates are experienced in providing

assistance to those victimized by domestic violence.  Advocates understand the criminal justice, family court, and social service systems and are familiar with other community resources that might be helpful to you.  Advocates can also provide you practical and emotional support.

Intake Assessment◦ Intake specialist who meets with you to determine what

services you need. Once the intake is completed, the intake specialist will make referrals to FJC partners and advocates.

Safety PlanningCourt Advocacy

Barbados One-Stop-Model

Health Services ◦ Referral to the appropriate medical unit◦ Private/public◦ Forensic

Legal Assistance ◦ Legal clinics ◦ Legal advice

Sexual and Reproductive Health Support ◦ Counselling, interventions, testing – referral

Law Enforcement◦ Collaboration with police at various levels◦ Interview space for clients◦ FCIU, Sexual Offences

Barbados One-Stop Shop ModelData Collection from various entry points

◦Disaggregated Data◦Collation

Training /Education◦Community◦Workplace◦Schools

Prevention ProgrammesPerpetrator Intervention

◦Partners for Peace◦Other

Resource CentreProvide information on essential

public and private resources pertinent to GBV, Sexual and Reproductive Health and related concerns

NGOS that target males, females, children, at risk populations◦E.g. Homeless

Information Exchange Funders/ Donors info

Available programmes & services

Benefits Targets both males and females Walk-in CentreNGO-ledCoordinated response Multidisciplinary approach/

Stakeholder engagement Victim-centered Focus on prevention and

mitigation of GBV

BPW Barbados Anti-GBV StrategiesUNiTE Campaign – UN Women

◦Edutainment ◦Local entertainers – male and female

BPW Barbados Anti-GBV StrategiesFantasy Shot Documentary Youtube “Fantasy Shot Barbados”

BPW Barbados Anti-GBV StrategiesSchool Education & InterventionDiamonds Mentorship

Programme Youth Crisis Hotline Training Personal Development

Programme Clothesline Project TRIM – Barbers& HairdressersTRAP

BPW Barbados Anti-GBV StrategiesCapacity Building – GBV

Advocate Training Police Training Social Work Training TeachersCollaborations – Center for

Women and Families, Connecticut

Engaging Men as Partners White Ribbon Campaign Partners for Peace ProgrammeSchool Education & InterventionMale Advocates

Partners for Peace Program – UN WomenStandardized court-based violence

intervention for men – 16 weeks, court-mandated

Psycho-educational approach to prevent male perpetrator from repeating the violence

Focus on safety & protection of victims Accountability & responsibility by

perpetratorFramework for after support Grenada, Trinidad, St. Lucia, Belize, British

Virgin Islands

A Note on Human Trafficking in BarbadosNational Task Force on Human

Trafficking Barbados – destination country BPW Crisis Centre & Shelter offer

support services Legislation

◦Recognise all forms of Human TraffickingInternational Organisation of MigrationGovernmentMulti-sectoral approach

Looking forward Police Legislation Funding Walk-In Centre Political Will Economic Empowerment

Programmes Women’s Empowerment

Principles ◦Corporate Support

Looking ForwardSocial Media Crisis Intevention via Social

MediaWalking into Walls

◦https://www.facebook.com/WalkingIntoWalls

Code Red For Gender Justice ◦https://www.facebook.com/

redforgender

Thank You! The Business and

Professional Women’s Club of Barbados – Registered Charity #190

P.O. Box 381, Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies; bpwbarbadosonline@gmail.com; bpwbarbados.wordpress.com

246-836-5070/5068; Facebook – BPW Barbados Online

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