Kyra Paul is Acting Director of the Bureau of Gender Affairs
The Bureau of Gender Affairs will soon be conducting a social mobilization campaign against gender-based violence- a first in Dominica.
The regional pilot program will be implemented in September and was made possible through a $162,000 donation from UN Women. The project is also being run in Antigua and Grenada.
Acting Director of the Bureau of Gender Affairs, Kyra Paul says the campaign themed ‘Stop That Violence’ will target the youth, the community, the church, victims of gender-based violence and others.
The project will commence with a baseline study.
“Peter Wickham has been contracted to conduct the study so that we know where we’re at and where we want to go by the end of the three years,” Paul revealed.
Paul believes that there is a need for a campaign of this nature in Dominica.
“There is a need for it because our data registry shows that we have quite a significant level of gender-based violence. We have quite a bit of domestic abuse and child sexual abuse and we need to stop it.”
The Bureau hopes that the campaign will help establish gender clubs at schools and a network of advocates.
“We also want for victims to increasingly make reports and not be fearful. We want the churches and schools to respond more to needs of victims and represent their needs using a harmonized reporting protocol,” she said.
Paul says a large objective is that Dominicans will understand gender-based violence and be able to effectively respond.
The campaign will run for three years and begins with an art competition for primary school students and a photo art competition in high schools.
I am not sure gender based violence is any more prevalent in Dominica than in Canada but it is good to see an organized effort to eliminate it.
Gender based violence would be violence against anybody because of somebody’s dislike or lack of respect for a person’s gender. This would have a lot to do with what people were taught when they were growing up, and what they heard and saw as a child at home.
There are only two genders. Christ taught “…he which made them at the beginning made them male and female.” (Matthew 19:4) Those who have been raised in the Christian world view have no problem appreciating the equality of the genders and the value of both. Gender is all about anatomy. It is not determined by what we feel or think we are. Look back at our scripture. It says “he (God) MADE male and female.”
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It is ignorance of God’s plan that creates lack of respect and produces gender based violence.
So we have men disrespecting women because they see them as servants and sex objects.
We see women disrespecting men and treating them as meal tickets and sexual partners.
This ignorance of God’s plan in creation and lack of mutual respect between men and women allows violence to break out and often results in bloodshed and murder.
In one nation in particular the gender of children is not respected. Female babies are slain at birth either by being smothered or placed on a shelf in a back room to die. “Selective abortion” is practiced to kill girl babies before birth.
Abortion is the worst form of child abuse. Yet there are people who support abortion and pretend they are against violence. Abortion is the ultimate expression of gender based violence. Pope John Paul 2 called it “the culture of death.”
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
They need a ministry for discrimination, prejudice, victimisation n oppression. They need a bureau of justice and equal opportunity.
This government continue to fail Dominica. Dominica will remain a failed nation for many years to come. There is no future for the common man. There is only a future for the labour kabal, supporters n those who don’t have qualification but have big jobs in Dominica.
It is indeed shameful to see Dominica being wasted.
Look at the amount of money goin to this pollster wickhamm. Just crooks, pirates n oppressors.
How can someone with any ounce of decency or Christianity support this government. Their friends Acting in position, getting position, giving up their dignity n pride for position. This young lady should investigate allegations of discrimination against women in high n low places…
Oh Dominica land where people sing for their supper n get fix up proper. A place where priorities are upside down. …. because of Dem Toyota in…
people we must stop say thing we dont know if the lady has the qualifacation give the job i hate to see some one from over sea come here and our people are left behind . next any goverment giveing it poeple job and not some to oppostion that wrong as sincible said that true what goes areround come areround and you will get the dose of your own medicen . goverment we must stop that. dominica is ours not a party. some of you hate read and blue the same , remember if you fall sick the pm is not there to help you , you will see the next door person not pm so love your friend
good job kyra
Yes Kewo. That is a good issue for you to concentrate on. Too many lives have been and continue to be destroyed by violence in our country. Educate people. Congrats
So Why Dr. Valda Henry or another local could not be contacted to do that survey. Mr. Prime Minister stop exporting our resources. No employment and the few opportunities which presents itself we export it and then a local has to fix it for pittance.
Dominicans we need to stand together stop helping destroy our own. We never appreciate our own unless they are politically aligned to the administration in office.
Just remember we always God is Good, like we love him and doing justice to our people but we destroying our fabric of our society.
We will not be in Office for Ever and what goes around comes around and don’t think because we have today we will always have, it takes one second for our life to change for ever.
This is always a good initiative, in that there are far too many people–predominantly men, but also some women–who think males have a right to dominate females and exercise forms of violence, including sexual violence, over them. We need to show that men targeting women, or women targeting men, or each targeting the same sex, is wrong; very often, there is an assumption in these acts of violence that one sex ‘deserved’ it because of sexist assumptions about how men and women supposedly are.
But any such initiative must also target anti-LGBT violence, since that is often also a form of gender-based violence, and I hope Wickham will be able to assist there. I am sure many Dominicans will be against helping minority communities, but that is irrelevant to me; human rights are what is right. I hope this goes forward in a positive, educational manner.
Parl Rep daughter can get big position automatically but persons within the same ministry are stifled and positions are not given forthrightly while other positions are not compensated justly. Peace be my people.
Two quick points Ms. Paul: the emphasis must be placed on ending VIOLENCE, not gender violence, period. The other is: what tendering process was used, if any, to award the contract to Mr. Peter Wickham?
HOTEP!
Ending gender-based violence as an initiative does not suggest one is ignoring all other forms of violence; it is trying to highlight a specific type of violence that is often taken for granted. Obviously, we need to try to stop violence, broadly, but there is nothing wrong with targeting specific kinds thereof.
I agree we must specifically look at gender violence. But the latter part of the question was not answered. Mr. Wickham is a political scientist so now he is involved in gender violence…wow…only in Dominica and how was he selected / tendering process .
The Parl Rep of Paix Bouche daughter has big position boy. Yes I
All the big jobs in Dominica stay with the big red family. Have you only noticed just now?
The Parl Rep of Paix Bouche daughter is well qualified for the big position. You people must know yr place.
Stupes