MEN, stand up and be counted.
When it comes to matters related to domestic abuse, particularly in the wake of the new Domestic Violence (Protection Orders) Amendment Act passed in Parliament recently, our men have been very quiet.
Now is not the time to be silent on this social scourge that affects so many relationships, causing splits, and sometimes, sadly, leading to death. This is the time for our men to be vocal on this issue.
The matter was raised recently by Minister of Social Care Steve Blackett when he pointed out to the Men’s Educational Support Association (MESA) that while representatives of women’s groups were present at Parliament for the recent debate on the new act, men were glaringly absent.
He was right to chide the men for their absence, and he also challenged them, quite correctly, to come forward and speak up on these matters.
The reality is the act does not deal only with abuse against women, but it also covers those abusive acts that are committed against men.
While men may shy away from talking about abuse meted out to them by partners, they need still to face the truth of their situation and talk about it because their stories serve to help others who are experiencing similar circumstances.
The new act is expected to provide more protection for victims of domestic abuse. Police officers will be able to issue protection orders on the spot, enter homes without warrants and seize weapons of suspected offenders.
The new measure mandates police to respond to every complaint where there is a report of domestic violence. Added to that, the Commissioner of Police is expected to keep a domestic violence register to record information obtained by officers who respond to complaints. In essence, police officers must leave no stone unturned when it comes to dealing with cases of domestic violence.
Some men have already shared their anger on one aspect of the act under which they can be removed summarily from their homes.
Some who attended a recent MESA meeting went as far as calling for the amended act to be amended once again to reflect their concerns. This was immediately shut down by Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite who was present at the meeting.
Men need to understand that there is nothing to fear from this act which ought to be viewed more positively by those it is intended to protect.
The law does not only protect women, but also men. Domestic abuse is not gender specific and it is for this reason that it must be embraced by both sexes.
This is the first time in 23 years that there have been changes to the legislation and this too must be seen as a positive step as efforts are made to stem the social scourge. In recent years there have been far too many reports about domestic abuse, some sadly ending in death.
We need to not only stamp out this menace to society, but we need our men to get on board and speak out on the issue.
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