3 weeks ago
4
Senior Reporter
Police officers assigned to the Special Victims Department at the North-Central and Northern Divisions say they have noticed an increase in the number of men coming forward to report domestic violence.
Speaking with Guardian Media at a community outreach at the El Dorado West Secondary School yesterday, Sgt Tricia Durant-Charles said while she did not have the numbers at the time to support the statement, it is a notable increase.
She said she has been part of the unit, which is a marrying of the Gender-Based Violence Unit and the Child Protection Unit, for “some odd years”.
Durant-Charles added that the cases of domestic violence are enormous. Asked about some of the trends she has seen in recent years, Durant-Charles said it was the willingness of men to step forward as victims.
“The reports that come out from male victims a lot of times, they don’t see themselves as victims. Now we are getting to where they are coming forward, but then there are not many facilities to accommodate them. Whereas we can refer a female victim to a safe house, we don’t have that ability to refer a victim to a safe house.”
She said outreach programmes like the one at the school foster a sense of togetherness between the community and police and empower victims to come forward.
“Most of the time when victims come to the police, they think that the police will laugh at them. They think they are going to have a horrible experience. But that is why the unit was created. We are a group of professionals who walk them through it. If the person wants a protection order, or for the abuser to be warned, or if the person is to be charged, we guide them through that.”
Durant-Charles added that there has also been an increase in Spanish-speaking victims. She said the unit was supported by La Casita, which translates for the police.
Durant-Charles said victims stepping forward “enlightens” her, and that is why privacy and confidentiality are paramount for the unit, which is housed at the Maracas/St Joseph Police Station.
Her advice to men was simple: “Don’t hesitate to come forward and make a report. Nobody is going to laugh at you. Nobody is going to treat you differently. We are a unit of professionals; we deal with your report in a professional and confidential manner, and if it has to go to court, we charge females and go to court.”
Echoing that statement was the founder of Conflict Women, Asiya Mohammed, who told Guardian Media that while the last survey done on domestic violence was in 2017, there seems to be an increase in the number of reports. Like Durant-Charles, she could not provide data up to late yesterday.
“I think I would give the same advice, to be honest, across the board, which is to reach out, do not suffer in silence, and seek a listening ear. Seek support and try to find resources or NGOs that you know will support them in that journey to exit abuse and become independent.”
Mohammed said the entire country has a role to play in reducing reports of domestic violence, whether it is the private sector providing financial resources to NGOs or State agencies offering critical support.
Guardian Media checked the police service’s official page, but there are no statistics on gender-based violence for the period 2013 to 2024.
English (US) ·