As voices unite throughout the country for an end to violence, particularly against women, two motor vehicle clubs held motorcades from North to South.
Sporting mostly pink banners and posters on their vehicles, they sounded their horns and shone their headlights as they supported the call for change.
Following the discovery of the body of 23-year-old Andrea Bharatt on February 4, nationwide candlelight vigils, rallies and protests have been held through the length and breadth of T&T.
Dinesh Ramoutar, vice president of the Nissan Navara Club of T&T, said, “We decided to take a stand against crime, not only violence against women but crime on the whole.”
He said they were not going to wait for another law to be passed or an amendment to the legislation.
“We want to bring awareness to put things in place to protect our children, our mothers or daughters, our young ones. We don’t want to wait until it reaches our doorsteps then to take action or to lose a loved one and then to go through this. We have taken the initiative to raise awareness to protect our loved ones and put things in place,” he said.
He said arranging transport to and from work is a simple precautionary measure.
Noting that the club has a Facebook membership of 7,000, Ramoutar said they intend to organise other awareness campaigns in various forms just “to keep our loved ones alive.”
Accompanied by a music truck, close to 100 trucks participated in the South Truckers Association rally from Debe to Port-of-Spain.
Association member Dave Sookoo said the rally was held to show respect to all the women who were victims of “cruel and heartless” criminals.
He said they intended to stage bigger rallies in the coming days and weeks.
Another event dominating the streets was a historical Moko Jumbie walkathon from San Fernando to the Queen’s Park Savannah in relay to Port-of Spain.
They kicked off their relay-style walkathon just after 7 am with a Carnival-like event in front of City Hall on Harris Promenade.
Witnessed by just a handful of people owing to the COVID-19 protocols, there was live entertainment, a music truck, and Carnival costumes.
Making 13 stops before arriving at Queen’s Park Savannah, they journeyed along the Southern Main Road, onto the Eastern Main Road, and then to the Queen’s Park Savannah.
Kaisokah founder Junia Bisnath said, “Forty nine years ago we put off Carnival because of polio and now we have this pandemic facing the world.”
He said the event was held in solidarity with the world and also to give thanks to the frontline workers. —Sascha Wilson