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Project Alert, five years ago we started advocating for an integrated response to the issue of domestic violence and all forms of violence against women. What I mean by integrated response – We are not medical workers or social welfare officers. So what we did was to start a partnership with relevant agencies like the women affairs ministry, ministry of health, social welfare, and try to develop a data bank of who is doing what and in what area for easy referral. For example, when a case come to us, if it is a criminal issue like rape, we need to refer it to the police.  If we have an insensitive police officer that is not responding to the issue, we have a problem there.  If we have to go to the hospital and if the victim does not get to see the doctor soon enough to take a specimen and all that, you have problem. So we try to partner with groups on that. But as an organisation, we have three main programme areas – Research and documentation, human rights education and support services programme, where we are dealing with victims, live and direct. The support we give them is: counselling, legal aid, legal advice and take up cases for them in court or in criminal cases where they prosecute, we hold watching brief and then of course, we have the shelter. All these are subject to availability of funds.
How can we continue to empower women to speak out because speaking out is the first step to recovery for the woman?
We need to continue with the work of sensitisation. You can never over flog sensitisation. You can not over-emphasise awareness creation and sensitisation. These days, more people are speaking out as a result of advocacy work done over the years. People are now mustering courage to become confident and speak out and say to themselves, if I speak out, help will come my way, which 10/15 years ago, that was not the case and that is why I think there is increased reporting in the fact that people are coming forward due to sensitivity to the issue. Mothers are calling for their daughters, sisters calling for their sisters and friends calling for their friends. So a lot of awareness creation is happening. And also, we need to bring up our girls to believe in themselves and their own capability, so that they can do things for themselves, not wait for a husband to come and buy them, cars. I once met a young lady who said she could not wait for her husband to come and buy her a car, why can’t she think she can take care of herself. So we need to empower our young girls to grow up believing in themselves and placing value on themselves, setting goals and striving. We need to invest in our girls because a lot of young girls have lost their self esteem because you see a lot of women, who allow someone else to define them. I mean someone tells you are stupid and you imbibe it.  My 8-year-old, if you tell her she is stupid, she will tell you “I am not stupid, I am very smart and I don’t know if you are.” She stands up for herself. I tell her, keep speaking positively to yourself about yourself. Simples!
What is your message to women, who find themselves in violent situation?
Violence against women and domestic violence is at a huge cost to this country. If we put our ears to the ground and really investigate the deaths of women, with the exception of ill health, we will find that some of those sudden deaths were as a result domestic violence. So my message will be that – charity begins at home. For as long as there is no peace in the home, there cannot be peace in society. No young man was born abusive. It is what he has imbibed growing up that turned him into the violent creature he became. Environment makes people who they are. So we need to go back to the drawing board and get it right, right from the family. The family is the microcosm of the larger society.  So we need to get it right from the home. We need to get it right.


Read Full Article: Domestic Violence: Its Not A Private Matter