6,200 calls to Domestic Violence Hotline

The exhibition took place on the Brian Lara Promenade, Port-of-Spain.

She also disclosed for the period October, 2014 to September, 2015, the Hotline reported 965 client calls during which 86.8 percent of that came from women. She said the figures showed those persons who were brave enough to make the call, and reach out for help.

“Consider for a moment the thousands who do not yet have that courage. It is for those persons that our public education and service delivery efforts must never cease. This includes the establishment and enforcement of appropriate legislation facilitation of easy access to all supportive services, and empowerment of our people,” she said. Webster-Roy said the government will be the fiercest proponents of greater empowerment of women. She said their efforts include advocacy, gender mainstreaming and training in gender mainstreaming, and training in gender-responsive budgeting across the Government Ministries. Also, the provision of skills training for women to increase their marketability within male-dominated fields.

The National Commission for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, or the National Women Commission will be established, and the Women’s City Centre Project will be implemented in South and North Trinidad.

We will also increase the number of safe houses, shelters and transition homes for victims/survivors using various initiatives with appropriate standards, and guidelines to monitor and evaluate their operations,” she said.

The minister said government will also incorporate gender perspectives in all activities of government and civil society, starting with the collection and collation of sex-disaggregated data, and conduction of gender aware research.

“We will facilitate the full and equal participation of men and women in the development process of policies and governance in consideration of the different needs, constraints, opportunities and priorities of men and women,” she said. She added that future consultations will be held on the National Policy on Gender and Development.

Webster-Roy said citizens must work together to ensure that there are no more murder-suicides, “no more broken marriages because of broken bones, no more hidden bruises and hidden shames.

We have to encourage our family members, our friends, our co-workers to be willing to step up and report violations taking place.”