Today the Office of the Special Envoy for Women and Children, the National Women's Commission and the UNDP, hosted the first student discussion of Gender Based Violence. The students discussed gender relations, and the widespread violations of human rights for victims of gender based violence. We spoke to two of the event's organizers, Special Envoy for Women and Children, Kim Simplis Barrow and Cynthia Williams, the Human Services Coordinator at the Women's Department, about the importance of the discussions.
Kim Simplis-Barrow - Special Envoy for Women and Children
"Today was really wonderful day to really sit and listen to what these young students have to say and their perceptions of what gender based violence is. It was real, it was raw, to the point, in your face, and that's what we want. We want to know how much do they know, and how willing are they to be a part of the elimination of gender based violence. As you could see it was quite evident that they know a lot more than we thought that they knew. Obviously gender based violence is prominent in our society, and a lot of time we turn a blind eye, a lot of times we just pretend say it doesn't exists, it's not happening to me, and I think this society is ready speak up."
"Both boys and girls have equal protection in our laws. We want boys to know that. You heard from one of the presentations that boys are not protected under the laws, and that is not true so we have some work to do there. In terms of educating our boys that listen we're here, we're protecting boys and girls because you're equal."
Cynthia Williams - Human Services Coordinator, Women and Family Services Department
"Well we have to be very careful how we say we can take them out because we have to understand that we're working with adults, and as adults they have dissolved determination to make their own choices. What we try to do is provide them with the necessary information for them to know what are the services that are available, what is the legislation that is there to protect them, and the fact that there are shelters in country that they can go to stay for a while until the emergency or urgency and dangerous situation has passed. They can go there along with their children, and so what we do is really provide them with an opportunity to look at the different options that they have and then be able to make a decision. We don't make it on their behalf, we guide them we let them know and at the end of the day, they're the ones who make the decision whether they leave or they stay."
This event was held as a part of the UN's 16 Days of Activism, which starts on November 25th and aims to bring awareness to and eliminate gender based violence.
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