Social Services Minister Melanie Griffin said Bahamians cannot continue to “bury their heads in the sand” when it comes to reporting domestic violence as the country’s crime problems will not be solved until the problem of domestic violence is solved.
“To put it bluntly, many of the young males paraded before the courts today charged with violent crimes and many of the young girls committed for uncontrollable behaviour were themselves likely victims of some type of abuse,” Mrs. Griffin said recently.
“Over the years we have hurt ourselves by ignoring the problem, because studies show that unchecked domestic violence not only escalates, but manifests itself in many other different ways.”
Addressing the premiere of the docudrama “Get Out” at the New Providence Community Centre, Blake Road, on Saturday, Minister Griffin said studies by the Bahamas Crisis Centre have shown that children who are abused, are desensitised to violence, more likely to carry weapons to school or social events, and more likely to carry weapons regularly.
“The stark reality is that our crime problem will not be solved if we do not solve the problem of domestic violence,” Mrs. Griffin added.
