At a function hosted by the Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) on Wednesday, chairman Lynette Seebaran-Suite shared some statistics that highlight how little progress has been made in addressing domestic and gender violence.
Legislative and other mechanisms are in need of "a tweaking and a review," Ms Seebaran-Suite said. She also revealed that the 126,166 applications for protection orders filed under the legislation since 1991 were a vast body of information waiting to be analysed that could influence future policy formation.
Her observances highlight one of the shortcomings in addressing domestic violence and the other major social problems in this country: lack of analysis and a tendency to be reactive rather than proactive in the search for solutions.
When domestic violence laws were developed and enacted more than two decades ago, it was in response to an upsurge in cases of spousal assaults and murders. Among the key provisions then was making it easier for men and women who are the victims of domestic violence to obtain protection orders through the magistrates courts.
The country and the world have changed significantly since then and some of the approaches to dealing with the problem back then are no longer relevant. The rise of technology, with all its advantages, has also given rise to a new set of perils.For that and many other reasons, the Domestic Violence Act, which was last amended in 2006, remains very much a work in progress.
However, even stronger laws will accomplish only so much if attitudes don't change with them. A total revolution in attitudes, not only within affected families, but throughout society is essential to bring about real changes to prevent domestic violence and to support survivors. More than ever before, the public and private sectors, including policy-makers and opinion-leaders, must all become more involved in addressing the complexities of domestic and gender violence.
There is still a great deal to be done, including developing adequate supporting policies and facilities to give more teeth to existing laws. Insufficient shelters, inadequate police training, the slowness of the justice system and inconsistencies in public awareness campaigns are major hurdles still to be crossed in reducing domestic and gender violence.
In addition, preventative efforts aimed at men and boys haven't gone far enough. Effectiveness of preventative measures will require more co-ordinated efforts involving several government ministries, particularly National Security, Gender and Child Development, Education and People and Social Development.
Over the short to medium term, T&T's Domestic Violence Act, even in its current, imperfect form, will be more effective and far-reaching if it is supported by prevention and early intervention measures. This is possible with more comprehensive community-based action to more accurately pinpoint victims and perpetrators and ensure they have access to services and support.
At present there are many groups and individuals doing many things to address the problem, but their efforts are of limited success because there is very little co-operation and co-ordination. Isolated efforts here and there fail to reach the large numbers of women, children and men in desperate need of help. As a result, there are still too many tragic outcomes.