Both countries studying each other’s gender based violence response systems

Durrant Pate/Contributor

Jamaica and Belize are studying each other’s response systems to gender-based violence, gender equality, and the overall upliftment of Jamaican women and children.

Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, who made the announcement in Parliament this week, hailed the delegation from Belize, who were present at Gordon House, saying they are in the island studying the state’s mechanisms as it responds to these issues.  

Speaking during the closing of debate on Jamaica’s women’s parliamentary bi-cameral caucus, Grange used the occasion to thank Jamaica’s international development partners for making this knowledge exchange possible.

She mentioned that a team from her “ministry is about to go to Belize to do a study tour of their gender-based violence response mechanism”.

Grange reiterated that Jamaica continues to work with its faith-based organisations, academic institutions, women’s rights organisations, think tanks, community-based organisations, ministries, departments and agencies in addressing gender-based violence, gender equality, and the overall upliftment of Jamaican women and children.

Revised National Policy for Gender Equality

She disclosed that the revised National Policy for Gender Equality, which has been completed, will be unveiled publicly next year. The minister expressed excitement at the prospects because of what has been achieved together, while reminding the Parliament that the eradication of gender-based violence is everybody’s responsibility emphasising the importance of early detection.

“It is about continued orientation and training of security personnel, and engagement of church leaders and the wider community on the signs of domestic violence and the possible responses that are likely to mitigate, reduce or eliminate gender-based violence. It is about continuous scrutiny of laws and policies to ensure that women and children are effectively protected,” Grange told members of parliament.

Women’s parliamentary bi-cameral caucus

Turning to the matter of the women’s parliamentary bi-cameral caucus, Grange cited that some may ask why have a women’s bi-cameral caucus and not a gender caucus, accepting that this is a merited question, as the progress made on women’s rights in Jamaica have been done due to collaboration. She assured the parliament that this caucus is a continuation of the culture of partnership.

According to the culture, gender, entertainment and sport minister, “when we just started the discussions on the bi-cameral caucus, there was a discussion on this being a women’s caucus, as opposed to a gender caucus. We agreed that while the issues of men are of concern, it is critical for us to first zone in on some unresolved matters concerning women in Jamaica’s legislative agenda and then, at some point in the future, we explore how to integrate the needs of men in this newly created body”.

She concluded that the Jamaican women’s parliamentary bi-cameral caucus during their discourse recommitted to the guiding principles in the National Policy for Gender Equality 2011, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, particularly regarding the issue of enabling gender equality in the Jamaican society.