NASSAU, The Bahamas – Minister of Labour and Social Development Senator Dion Foulkes congratulated the organisers of the Family Violence Summit “Men Forum” for bringing men together to discuss the role of males in addressing violence in general and gender-based violence in particular.
Senator Foulkes explained during the forum, Friday, September 24, that gender-based violence has been defined as violence involving men and women, in which the female is usually the victim, and which is derived from unequal power relationships between men and women.
“It includes, but is not limited to, physical, sexual and psychological harm, including intimidation, suffering, coercion, and/or deprivation of liberty within the family, or within the general community,” he said.
“It has been identified as the most pervasive human rights violation of our time.”
Senator Foulkes noted that men are said to be main perpetrators of violence. “Certainly, the steady rise in crime and in particular violent crime throughout the Caribbean and in The Bahamas is primarily a male phenomenon.”
He said that Her Majesty’s Prison is full of men and increasingly young men; and newspaper headlines reflect this on a daily basis.
The senator told the male audience he is convinced men must play an important role for peace and harmony to be achieved in homes around the country.
“The unacceptable level of violence in our homes and by extension our country is a reality that we as men must address and change,” he said.
During the forum, he said the participants must take an introspective look at the Bahamian male and ask the hard questions.
“How do we define male/female relationships? How is Bahamian manhood demonstrated? What is accounting for the disparity between the sexes in tertiary education? Is it more important to show that you can control others?”
Senator Foulkes said he is aware that while there are a large number of men who are perpetrators of violence, some men are also victims.
Many of these men are reluctant to identify themselves as victims of abuse because of the stigma attached to this process and they have been conditioned by society to perceive themselves as being in control of their emotions and their environment and should not have to reach out for help, he explained.
These societal expectations make male victims reluctant to discuss their experiences openly, Senator Foulkes added.
He commended one of the facilitators at the forum, Dr Peter Weller, Founder of the Caribbean Men Action Network (CariMAN), who will launch The Bahamas branch of the Network.
Senator Foulkes said he is advised that among the objectives of CariMAN are advocacy for masculinity programmes and the creation of a “Champions for Change” network of trained men who will promote the agenda of ending gender-based violence.
He also noted that the work of the organisation includes an understanding of manhood, male/female relationships and how to promote healthy development in the country’s young men.
The men’s forum was held on the last day of a three-day workshop sponsored by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development.
Representatives from the police, the Attorney General’s Office, Sandilands Rehabilitative Centre, Princess Margaret Hospital, the Departments of Public Health and Social Services, the Ministries of Education and Youth, The College of The Bahamas, the church and many non-governmental agencies involved in the work of the family took part in the summit.
It is expected that a national draft plan of action to confront violence is developed as a result of the summit.
By Llonella Gilbert
Bahamas Information Services
BIS photo/Letisha Henderson
