Domestic violence leads to the destruction of marriages, homes, families and the lives of children and ultimately the suppression of culture. Such occurrences have transformed many good countries into urban disaster that leads to the sufferings from uncontrolled prostitution, child abuse, illegitimacy, physical abuse, sexual abuse and sexual predation.
Long-term effects of domestic violence on women who have been abused may include: eating disorders, drug and alcohol consumption, malnutrition, poverty, panic attacks, repeated self injury, sexual dysfunction, sleep disorders, strained family relationships, suicide attempts and the inability to respond to the needs of their children. When children cannot depend on their parents for emotional/ practical support, their development can be delayed or permanently distorted. Children without available parent may withdraw from relationships and social activities.
Moreover, abused women are at higher risk of miscarriages, stillbirths and infant deaths and are more likely to give birth to low birth weight children; a risk for neonatal and infant deaths.
Boys who witnessed their fathers
The situation is a miserable and terrifying one. The solution to just leave the abusive mate, or have a domestic free day is a very simplistic solution to a serious problem , many of the women in such situations are low in esteem, the courage to get up and out is long gone. I guess in many of these cases the beaten mate blames his or herself for the violence, as to say they are to blame for his or her anger that resulted in cuts and gashes.
What about the children in those homes?
A quote from Dianne Feinstein,
Guyana and Guyanese at home and abroad have a serious problem and not dealing with domestic violence we know is taking place doesn’t make it go away. it is your business if some clown is beating his wife
Yes! It is my business being part of a larger group to address the issue. If you would look on Baiganchoka’s home page and blog, you would see that ee have joined up with SAKHI.ORG to address this issue within the West Indian community. Why! because we want a to be valued on the global platform. We would like be better and stonger and more united as community going foward. Rebelucion, you do not have have to care at all about the subject but we would like address the way Westindian families address domestic violence. Do you realize that if you would go to a police outpost in Queens NY and ask about an identifying characteristic among West Indians, more likely than not domestic violence would the on the top two list. So as a community that is asking for change, we feel it quite important.
I agree with Rick! The solution is to leave, but how many does? How many can? Traditional values play a large part in women choosing to stay in an abusive relationship/marriages – their mothers’ stayed so they feel it’s their duty as wives to say. Some stay for their kids. Some stay because they don’t know life apart from their abusive husband. Some are even pressured to stay by their own mothers. Whatever the reason women choose to say in such relationships/marriages it is their own choice. More harm is done to themselves and their family in staying.
Rebelucion, what exactly are you saying?
The new generation of women seem to have less tolerance for domestic violence and I hope to continue to stand up to it, but it’s the older women (their mothers – late 40s and up) I worry about – they stay with their abusive spouse no matter the cost to themselves or their children. I am witnessing so many cases of this now, in the US of women from the Caribbean and it breaks my heart. I try to understand their values and why they stay, but is it that difficult to say “enough is enough”?
All we can do is push forward for change. Some will embrace it, others will continue to apply the cover up make up. Just the way things will always be I suppose.
Cindy, if you’ve help one situation, you’ve helped a number greater zero. It’s a battle to be fought one at a time.
There are so many cases of domestic abuse in Guyana. Are there laws against domestic violence (in Guyana)?
There are no laws against domestic violence in Guyana.A man can do whatever he want with a woman, bribe the police and go free.The woman will have to live with the trauma for the rest of her life.
Andrew please go to Guyana and see what it is like for yourself and then tell me about the battles that you think can be fought one at a time.Money rules everything there.
A 9yrs old child is walking on the road- two old men raped and killed her.What has been done:NOTHING.People are poor, they can barely pay their travelling to the police station much less hire a lawyer.
A man was having an affair,when his wife confront him about it he threw battery acid on her scarring her for life.That same woman is the mother of his three children.Nothing has been done.Everyday you pick up the newspapers there’s always incidence of domestic abuse and there are NO LAWS in GUYANA.
People murder.rape,rob and massacre and yet they go free.
It’s problem like these that Guyana need to start focusing on instead of creating initiatives to be green. Jagdeo is like a baby trying to run before he or she can even walk. Whatever happened to Fineman? Jagdeo is like Bush who went in search of Osama and ended up in Iraq! Where is Fineman? And what’s going on with the efforts in find him and his gang?
Well such is life in Guyana, feel free to commit any crime you want and know if you have the money you will go free.You can buy the judge,lawyers and even pay to destroy your case so there would never be a court hearing. The Lusignan/Bartica massacre is history and it will continue to happen because there’s no law in Guyana and the Government dont give a damn.Perhaps he’s waiting for another massacre to go sympathize in order to get votes and ask other countries for financial aid.
Great is Bharrat Jagdeo.He cannot apprehend one murderer who’s on the run but he is the President so what can we do about it?Good luck on all his spendings for Carifesta…Poor going hungry but Carifesta/Stadium more important to the Government.Just wait for the bill.
I was driving home about a week ago and had a panic attack, called 911 and was driven to the er. It was the first time that I had one and really knew nothing about them
previously so was completely freaking out. Ever since I have still felt as if I wasn’t breathing correctly (like my throat is closed up), and have had pains and tightness in
my chest. I was just wondering if this was normal because I have talked to a few doctors and they said I was fine, I read up a little about panic attacks symptoms
Any ideas?