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1. Influencing the Discourse on Armed Violence: Raising Women's Voices. Lessons from Jamaican Women: Change agents and survivors
2. The Impact of Armed Violence on Women
3. The Impact of Armed Violence on Women The song you just heard was done by a popular social commentator /deejay, Queen Ifrica.
The commentary paints a picture of the reality for far too many of our women.
In the introduction to the commentary, the deejay informed us that Randy, her children’s father was killed. She is left alone with the children, and is unable to provide food or clothing for them as well as herself.
4. The Impact of Armed Violence on Women She lamented that she has no one to turn to as all of Randy’s friends have turned their backs on her and the children. This is a typical example of what occurs in most of the low income urban communities in Jamaica.
Based on a United Nation’s report, the level of violence continues to be a priority concern of every sector in the Jamaican society.
5. Types of Violence that Impacts Women There are two types of violence that usually impact the women of our society, Gang violence or community violence and Gender based violence.
When one speaks of violence impacting our women, many think that women are mostly impacted by domestic violence.
While gender based violence is destructive to the lives of women and their family members, and while it result in serious constraints on the women’s ability to contribute effectively to social and economic development, community violence equally impacts the women.
6. Types of Violence that Impacts Women Community violence can be defined as exposure to acts of interpersonal violence committed by individuals who are not intimately related to the victim.
Some of the acts that fall under the community violence umbrella include sexual assault, burglary, shootings, as well as social disorder issues such as the presence of teen/youth gangs.
7. Gender Based Violence While gender based violence is usually perpetrated without the use of arms, this is not always the case as there are several cases of rape or battery/gang rape where women are usually held at gun point and violated.
There are several cases where women have been shot or even killed because they have ended a relationship in which the man believes this should not have happened. These men most times are of the opinion that if they cannot be in a relationship with the woman then no one else will.
In very recent times a soldier went to the house of his ex-girl friend and opened fire killing two of her family members and injuring her.
her life without him.
8. Gender Based Violence In another case, a retired policeman killed his ex-girlfriend and her new partner then committed suicide, because the woman had decided to move on with Community violence is very popular in Jamaica and while most of the direct victims are men, most times women are impacted more.
9. Community Violence In most of our low income urban communities, women who are intimately involved with “dons” and “shottas” have no other options but to carry and conceal weapons for these men, they have to wash the bloody clothes or these perpetrators and all this must be done without refusal, because refusal could be extremely dangerous for them.
10. Community Violence Cont’d These women becomes the target for “shottas” of opposing gangs in times or conflict or war.
In these inner-city communities the “dons” and “shottas” are most times seen as a good thing, as a source of protection for the communities.
In several of these communities, the dons can request whatever service they wish from members of the community, requests such as sexual favours, and most times it is from the teenagers.
11. Community Violence Cont’d The mothers usually don’t say no for three main reasons:
Saying no could result in them being killed or seriously injured
These dons are their providers, in that they contribute to the well-being of the family by providing food and clothing as well as they has taken up the responsibility for sending the woman’s children to school.
These cases are not reported because in most cases the families don’t trust members of the police force. It is believed that man y of the lawmen are on the “don’s” payroll.
12. Community Violence Cont’d In addition to that, mothers are losing sons and spouses through violence.
In Jamaica, there is an alarming increase of the number of youth who are involved in gang violence. Boys as young as 12 year old are members of gangs and some as young as 17 years of age are head of gangs.
With this increase in youth gang there is also an increase in the number of youth being killed or injured by both members of the police force and more so members of an opposing gang.
13. Distribution of Circumstance of Injury by Age Group
14. The Impact of Armed Violence on Women This result in an economic constraint on the mothers, since most of the families in the inner-city is headed by women, who have to make several visits to the hospitals and pay high hospital bills if their sons or husband is injured, they have to pay for funerals when the family members are killed and these women have to pay for legal services when the spouses or sons are caught and charge by the security forces for criminal offences.
15. The Impact of Armed Violence on Women Based on a Woman’s Media Watch report, Over the past ten years, approximately 10,000 men (mostly youths) have been killed in violent circumstances.
This tragic loss of Jamaica's most precious resource is compounded by the thousands more who may survive violence, but are injured, maimed, and traumatized.
16. The Impact of Armed Violence on Women Based on the Violent Related Injuries (VRI) Report for the period January to December done by the Ministry of health 2008, 1072- 939 males and 133 females have been treated at public hospitals for gunshot wounds.
There is always a social and economic consequent of violence and the mothers in most situations have to shoulder these burdens.
17. Actions Being Taken While many of the women who are involved with “dons” and “shottas” choose to stay in the relationship for economic and “security” reasons or get involved with another “shotta” after their spouses are killed, many are now realizing the impact these types of relationships are having on them and other family members.
There are several women who like the character in Queen Ifrica’s commentary recognize the harm they suffer from being involved with a man involved in crime and violence and realize that they too have power to change this.
18. Survivors Take Petal for instance who was once involved with a “shottas”. She has ended that relationship and has moved on with someone not involved in criminality.
he confessed that she only got involved with him out of intimidation.
the longer she was with him, the more she recognized that his power came from him having a gun, without the gun, she says they both possess the same power.
19. Survivors Monica who had a child for a very popular don, called the police one morning to rescue her elder son who was allegedly caught stealing cigarettes and was locked up in a cage, a make shift prison, built by the don to punish wrongdoers.
She was living with him at the time but recognize that there was a bigger law that the Community Justice System put in place by one man.
There are several other women in many of our low income urban communities who are doing similar things and are providing support to other women who wants to do likewise.
20. Change Agents Organizations such as the Women’s Media Watch (WMW), Kingston and St. Andrew Action Forum (KSAAF), Bureau of Women’s Affair (BWA), Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA), Women’s Resource and Outreach Centre (WROC), Crisis Centre for Women, Woman’s Inc, Woman’s Inc Crisis Centre, Patricia’s House and Peace Management Initiative (PMI) to name a few have been doing extensive work to change this crisis that we are facing.
21. Change Agents WMW in collaboration with BWA is spearheading a comprehensive and innovative project with the long-term vision of reducing gender based violence in Jamaica. Over the past twelve months, WMW has trained media workers, teachers, counsellors, trainers and community leaders on the relevant national policies, laws, and UN conventions which speak to violence against women, in an effort to reduce the tolerance of violence against women within these communities.
22. Change Agents They have also implemented a public education and awareness raising campaign on gender and violence using the media, public forums, magazines, and the internet to disseminate its message.
PMI works closely with several volatile inner-city communities to provide mediation, conflict resolution and life skills training and income generating opportunities.
They recently held workshops for women, where an emphasis was on training women as peace builders.
23. Change Agents Under the Jamaica Violence Prevention, Peace and Sustainable Development (JVPDPD) Programme, the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) have established pilot community peace and justice centres as one-stop centres for citizens for legal advice and mediation and support to work of the police and courts in tackling crime and violence.
The centres play an important role in addressing gender issues at community level, including working with young men to address aggressive masculinity and providing access to service and justice for women.
24. Change Agents In May last year KSAAF under the Women’s Directorate launched the “Women for Peace” campaign.
This campaign highlight to the women the power they have and the role they need to play in reducing arm violence in Jamaica.
At the launch, which received media coverage, KSAAF implore women to be the agents of change. We try to highlight to them that they can help to reduce gun related violence by not providing support or shield to these men because in the end, they are the ones who are mostly affected.
25. Change Agents Also, KSAAF is ensuring that whatever programmes are implemented by the organization, women are involved.
In our recently held Peace Cup Football Competition we targeted women to get involved in the competition as teams managers and referees.
Women are also trained in Mediation and Conflict Resolution.
KSAAF is engaging our women to show them that they have the capacity and power to do anything they wish.
26. Change Agents In Queen Ifrica’s social commentary she highlighted to the women that despite her man was a “shotta” who committed acts in the name of politics and for others, she received no support from anyone. She warned other women to step up and not be cowards as they can be change agents.
27. Change Agents
28. Conclusion In closing we ought to re-socialize our men, let them know that “real men” don’t have to be aggressive, impulsive or reactionary. They should be taught how to appreciate the importance and right of a woman.
