Almost a week after assault allegations arose surrounding Westmoreland Central Member of Parliament (MP), George Wright, and amid criticisms of their prolonged silence, Jamaican women parliamentarians are collectively denouncing acts of domestic violence and standing in solidarity with victims across the country.

Addressing the House of Representatives Tuesday afternoon (April 20), on behalf of all her female colleagues, Speaker of the House Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, said: “As women in Parliament, we continue to denounce domestic violence in all its forms and regardless of whom the perpetrators are or may be.

“We have never, and this Parliament will never, condone violence in any form, and in particular domestic violence, gender-based violence.”

For this reason, Dalrymple-Philibert says that women leaders in Parliament feel it necessary at this time to stand in solidarity “with our sisters, our women who are in the line of fire from the lethal forces of domestic violence, most often meted out to them by men who may be their intimate partners, their co-workers, their family members or simply community members”.

The House Speaker went on to note that instances of domestic violence are not only relegated to the horrendous physical acts often depicted and shared on social media platforms, but also include verbal, psychological, cultural, and social abuse.

To put the issue of domestic violence to rest once and for all, the Speaker called for “all hands on deck” and appealed to “the media and faith-based organisations for the promotion of positive values in relation to the definition of maleness in so far as that definition affects relationships with our women”.

“We must eliminate the toxic masculinity that often expresses itself in violence against women,” said Dalrymple-Philibert.

“As mothers, grandmothers, aunts, church sisters, etc, we must commit to change in how we grow our boys and girls so that we can put an end to this scourge on our nation.

“We all bear responsibility to change our reality.”

The Speaker closed by stating that the MP for Central Westmoreland is on leave of absence from the Parliament and will no longer sit in the JLP Government Caucus.