Over 2000 cases of domestic violence reported

… more than 500 persons charged

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has reported that they have received and dealt with a total of 2,811 reports of domestic violence within the policing divisions throughout the country, and out of this number only 579 persons were charged and placed before the courts, while 299 cases were referred to the Probation and Family Welfare Department. In a press release issued to the media yesterday, the GPF stated that in 1,609 cases persons were warned by the police at the request of the victims, and investigations are still ongoing in a number of reports.

Now that it is established that you are a fraud and can't support your claims with statistical facts. Let us assume that you are correct and Guyana does have an abnormally high domestic violence rate compared to other nations. What is the solution to reduce the violence?

The prevailing recommendations from the center for prevention of abuse suggests:

Preventing Domestic Violence

What Can Each of Us Do To Prevent Domestic Violence?

• Call the police if you see or hear evidence of domestic violence. Get the afc/pnc police to do their jobs and arrest the perpetrators no matter how small the offense, also the PNC/afc magistrates must have the will to sentence the abusers to jail for even minor offenses. 
• Speak out publicly against domestic violence. 
• Take action personally against domestic violence when a neighbor, a co-worker, a friend, or a family member is involved or being abused.
• Encourage your neighborhood watch or block association to become as concerned with watching out for domestic violence as with burglaries and other crimes.
• Reach out to support someone whom you believe is a victim of domestic violence and/or talk with a person you believe is being abusive.
• Help others become informed, by inviting speakers to your church, professional organization, civic group, or workplace.
• Support domestic violence counseling programs and shelters.

which one of the ppp ministers speak up when bar--rat was beating and abusing his wife

you racist pig...the PPP are in office. If we blamed the british when they were in office for not helping why cannot the ones who are getting rich on the backs of citizens not be blamed for their areas of obscene neglect...the judicial system! Add to that the necessary social safety nets for the most vulnerable in the society

You have no class as you resort to gutter debating tactics you learnt from mitjuanita and the pedophile gang.  I tried to change the tone of this discussion by highlighting possible solutions and yet you continue to play the race card instead of exploring the solutions. A nasty man indeed your are, and a product of second rate Howard. 

Now let us break down the issue in a logical manner. How many of the 17 domestic abuse deaths you claim were preceded by complaints to the police prior to the crime? You are not interested in solutions, your motives are political. 

dummy you ever here about prevention better than cure or try social services to help and strengthen society every thing the ppp government lack lets call it the breakdown of law and order and then again you might want me to tell you is responsible of these ministries   

You who invent fake pedophiles to detract from folks making fun of an alias  ...you who cannot list where you went to school ( I can find out if it ever mattered) pretending Howard university is a place for cretins because it is a predominantly minority university....you who pretend every crime in guyana committed is an AFC elections cash building project because you imply it is black folks committing them ( while neglecting the naked PPP thievery) ...what are you talking about again...CLASS?

You are a racist since you milk your fantasy assertion on the stereotypes of race.  That you could ever grasp what it is to be of class  ( meaning appropriate, balanced and moral social views) is a farce since you would not know it if it hits you in the face.

Seventeen people died. They died because the social consciousness of the society that women are mere property has decayed to an all time low. It matters not if they went to the police; the social reflexive moral condition that would constrain such actions has been seriously eroded.

Domestic violence; let me reiterate, is a complex pathology and its emergence is across class and ethnicity. That compendium of triggers to violence is well known and easily identified. If the will exists to treat it seriously it can be ameliorated. No one is asking for a perfect world. One is asking for this odium to to be addressed so the habit of taking women's r lives would not be so prevalent.

I do not know what you are arguing but here. This is all just to give a convenient excuse to the government  for its failure to address this habit that  emerged during their tenure. They have serious culpability here for neglect of our judicial system and lack of social safety nets to adequately address a serious issue in a population already under severe stress.

Breaking News: Girl shot dead by ex-boyfriend

A 22-year-old girl is the first murder victim of the new year.
Carlotta Matthews, of North Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, was shot dead shorty after midnight today by a man identified as her ex-boyfriend.
The incident occurred in the vicinity of the East Coast Demerara bus park.
The alleged killer  fled the scene. A source identified the suspect as ‘Jermaine,’ said to be a popular individual in the local biker fraternity.
Sources said that the two had resided in Leopold Street, but broke up some time ago.

Seems another life is taken by this ugly habit in the Guyanese culture of women not having a voice.

You are a hypocrite, a misogynist who attacked Priya because of her weight and loss of good looks, Sooba because of her lack of good looks, Vonda because she is a woman who dared to defy the PNC. All of a sudden you now care about women being murdered.

How does the country move forward Mr Howard reject.

Preventing Domestic Violence

What Can Each of Us Do To Prevent Domestic Violence?

• Call the police if you see or hear evidence of domestic violence. Get the afc/pnc police to do their jobs and arrest the perpetrators no matter how small the offense, also the PNC/afc magistrates must have the will to sentence the abusers to jail for even minor offenses. 
• Speak out publicly against domestic violence. 
• Take action personally against domestic violence when a neighbor, a co-worker, a friend, or a family member is involved or being abused.
• Encourage your neighborhood watch or block association to become as concerned with watching out for domestic violence as with burglaries and other crimes.
• Reach out to support someone whom you believe is a victim of domestic violence and/or talk with a person you believe is being abusive.
• Help others become informed, by inviting speakers to your church, professional organization, civic group, or workplace.
• Support domestic violence counseling programs and shelters.

 

Here's why domestic violence continues. As I told the Howard grad, the solution is multi faceted and requires the cooperation of all, not just enforcement.

Assault defendant refused bail despite plea by reputed wife

A MAN charged with assaulting his pregnant wife was refused bail yesterday by Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty.The unemployed Renshan Monroe, 32, of Lot 6 McDoom Public Road, East Bank of Demerara is alleged to have, on Tuesday, December 31, 2013, unlawfully assaulted Natoya Hinds.
However, the virtual complainant standing restlessly before the court placed her hands on her abdomen and lower back as she told the magistrate that she does not wish to proceed with the case.
But Police Corporal Sean Blackman, prosecuting, said the defendant faced similar charges on several occasions previously and Hinds is always in habit of offering no evidence in the cases.
The prosecutor opposed pre-trial freedom for Monroe, pointing out that the couple has a history of assault on each other and the situation could be more serious in the future, as there is an ongoing issue between the parties.
The prosecutor said, on the day of the assault, the two people were involved in an argument over a cellular phone and, after Monroe became annoyed, he dealt the expectant mother a cuff to her abdomen.
Citing the nature of the offence and the penalty attached, the prosecutor added that the victim’s condition is critical.
Monroe informed the court that as a result of the previous matters, he was recommended to seek counseling and, although, he is presently unemployed, he will commence working at a gold mine on Monday.
Hinds, again, said she does not wish to give further evidence because she depends on her common law husband to support her.
Yet he was remanded to prison and will make his next court appearance on January 6, before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry

Any one can read this thread to get a grasp of your duplicitous lying nature. From inception you insisted nothing can be done since these are crimes of passion and the government is not equipped with precrime empaths.

Actually, I am the one that insisted it is a compendium of complexes most of which are known well by their pathologies and often can be intercepted by the social and criminal justice and stopped in its tracts.

Again, you are non thinking  dunce who runs in circles and hopes that you will can say look,"I am ahead of the game" when in fact you started behind and remains behind.

Woman, 20, shot dead by ex-lover, 40

January 3, 2014 | 
- suspect nabbed en route to Suriname
A 40-year-old man shot his 20-year-old ex-lover dead, after cornering her outside the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlet in Water Street on Old Year’s Night.

Dead: Carlissa Matthews

 

Carlissa Matthews, of Lot 2284 North Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, was shot to the back of the head shortly before midnight on Tuesday. She died at around 02:15 hrs on Wednesday (New Year’s Day) at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The suspect, identified as Jermaine Maynard, of Leopold and Cross Streets, Werk-en-Rust, fled the scene, but was captured at Springlands at around 08:00hrs yesterday, while attempting to escape to Suriname.
He was reportedly nabbed at the ‘back track’ crossing, and was about to board a boat when he was held.
Kaieteur News understands that acting on information, ranks staked out the area, and made a move when they were certain that the fugitive was within their grasp.

Carol Kennedy, the victim’s mother, said that her daughter, who has a five-year-old son, suffered repeated physical abuse at the hands of the suspect, during their approximately two-year relationship. She alleged that Matthews had made repeated complaints to the police, but never allowed police to press charges.

Ms. Kennedy said that her daughter eventually severed the relationship about six months ago, but the suspect continued to harass her.
Media reports also show that Matthews was herself charged with grievous bodily harm committed against Maynard on October 26, 2013. But the case was dismissed after Maynard declined to give evidence against her.
Carol Kennedy, a Stabroek Market vendor, told Kaieteur News that she, her daughter, and others were hanging out near the KFC outlet on Old Year’s Night when the suspect, who was also in the area, called her daughter.
Ms. Kennedy alleged that the ex-boyfriend had been calling her daughter frequently on her cell phone.

“He was constantly ringing her cell phone, and she (eventually) decide to go to him to keep him quiet.”

Ms. Kennedy said that she was backing the suspect and her daughter, who were chatting nearby and never heard the gunshot that killed her daughter.

“Then I hear a little boy say ‘look that man got a gun and he shoot that girl.’”

On turning, Kennedy saw her daughter lying motionless on the ground, with the ex-boyfriend standing nearby. She alleged that the suspect stood over her daughter and attempted to shoot again.
“He go over and try to shoot fire at her, but the gun just clicked.”
According to Kennedy, Matthews’s ex-boyfriend then fled into nearby Longden Street. The mother, accompanied by one of her sons, pursued the suspect to America Street, but the fleeing suspect held a cyclist at gunpoint and escaped on the man’s bicycle.

Ms. Kennedy’s fiancé took the badly-injured woman to the GPHC. There, a doctor ordered a CT scan, but then pronounced the victim brain-dead. The mother said that she passed away at around 02:15 hrs.
Ms. Kennedy recounted that she accompanied police to the suspect’s Cross Street, Werk-en-Rust home, but found no trace of the alleged killer.
Kaieteur News managed to contact the suspect, Jermaine Maynard, on his cell phone at around 20:00 hrs on New Year’s Day. During a brief conversation, the alleged killer blamed the ex-girlfriend and her mother for the rift in the relationship.

Asked why her daughter put up with the abuse for so long, Ms. Kennedy said that the suspect would “beg pardon and ask for a chance.”
“Everybody in the family would lean with him and give him a chance.”
However, Matthews eventually became ‘fed up’ and left her abusive boyfriend, who continued to try to rekindle the friendship.

“She go to the interior and he follow her…he refuse to give up,” the dead woman’s mother reflected.

That is two women dead in three days.

Nonsense, you immediately blamed the govt for political purposes, negating the role and responsibility of the citizens.   You claimed it was a failure of the judicial system which belonged to the PPP. In fact it belongs to parliament and every Guyanese. 

I am not a Journalist; I am a citizen inflamed with wrath against a corrupt lot.  It is political in that it  happens so frequently. 31 women died like this last year. The problem begs for a response. Guyanese men across all social strata believes  that women are property and not free to have independent thought.

 

It matters little who votes for whom. The failure of the judicial system sits squarely in the lap of the administration.

bar-rat start the breakdown and disrespect on women when he beat and abuse his wife and the ppp low life help him when no one speak against his action now the people is singing follow the leader

How do you excuse the role of the victim?

She alleged that Matthews had made repeated complaints to the police, but never allowed police to press charges.

Dude, you are as obstinate as any proverbial ass and  far more mentally impoverished. Let me reiterate, our murder rates of women by their spouses reflects, as with all crimes, opportunity. Social and political neglect are the only available checks.

We have a home affairs minister and am minister of health among others whose purview overlaps this area and if we see a rise of incidences they are obviously failing to affect this area of crime, mental health and social decay. Unless you think there is something in the water there is no other explanation as to why we have the present spike of wife murders unheard of in our history except in instances of our remote past and barbarous past.

I see you suddenly ketch sense as you try to slide in the social aspect after I posted the recommendations from the abuse prevention center. 

Govt can not legislate morality, it must come from society; churches, civic organizations and awareness of the people. 

If the center for abuse prevention does not mention Govt,  why would the rantings of a Howard second rate grad now working in a dollar store have any credence?

Preventing Domestic Violence

What Can Each of Us Do To Prevent Domestic Violence?

• Call the police if you see or hear evidence of domestic violence. Get the afc/pnc police to do their jobs and arrest the perpetrators no matter how small the offense, also the PNC/afc magistrates must have the will to sentence the abusers to jail for even minor offenses. 
• Speak out publicly against domestic violence. 
• Take action personally against domestic violence when a neighbor, a co-worker, a friend, or a family member is involved or being abused.
• Encourage your neighborhood watch or block association to become as concerned with watching out for domestic violence as with burglaries and other crimes.
• Reach out to support someone whom you believe is a victim of domestic violence and/or talk with a person you believe is being abusive.
• Help others become informed, by inviting speakers to your church, professional organization, civic group, or workplace.
• Support domestic violence counseling programs and shelters.

the mention of social and judicial failures is there from the inception both directly and inferentially. And where from the nether regions of ignorance is the idea of changing social attitudes through information about rights for example or the enforcing laws with respect to abuse or bodily harm a matter of legislating morality?  You are a perfect waste person.

 Stupid man, where did I excuse the victim? The point is if in the presence of corroborating evidence ( whether the victim agrees or not) a case can be made against the abuser, it should. I would also expect improved protocol for handling these cases with follow up by social workers since children is involved. If a mother or father would persist in keeping children in danger then they should have the loss of their parential rights hanging over their heads as well. 

I am sure there are hundreds of ways of addressing these issues available as preventative strategies. This is a new phenomena for us but many nations have established processes of handling these matters.

That Guyana is 5 times the US with murder of women by their spouses means some identifiable features of causation and prevention can be identified. We are not by any means less moral.

three dead in 4 days!

Bloody Friday…Woman, 24, murdered by husband

 
A jilted and jealous 27-year-old man fatally stabbed the mother of his three children to death at her mother’s house located at 932 Second Street, Paradise, East Coast Demerara.

Monica Adams, victim of domestic violence

 

Around 19:00 hours yesterday, 24-year-old Monica Adams reportedly met her demise in the presence of her six, four and one-year old children at the hands of their father, Paul Scotland, whom her 16-year-old brother, Charles Elliott, claimed had barged in their house and proceeded to kill his sister. And about an hour later, the police arrested the killer who was identified as Paul Scotland.

The young man who witnessed the incident recalled that his sister, her children, a cousin and him were watching television at their Paradise residence when Scotland walked in the open front door, grabbed Monica by her hair and dragged her to the back of the yard.
“He walked in the house and dragged her by her hair. He pulled her through the mud and carried her to the back of the yard where he stabbed her up with a small knife,” the distraught young man said.

He explained that Scotland stabbed his sister about her face and upper body. He said that as soon as the man grabbed his sister he rushed to grab a metal pipe and joined the melee which was unfolding at the back of their yard.
In an effort to save his sister from her abusive ex-boyfriend he dealt the man two lashes with the metal pipe.  At this point the man turned on him and in a fit of rage chased after him with the said knife in hand.
The young man recalled that he ran towards the house which at that time was in a state of confusion. “I had a metal pipe which I hit him two times with. Then he turn to me and stated running me through the house and he catch me one time with the knife.”

According to the brother, amidst the screaming of the terrified children, Scotland abandoned his attempt to injure him and fled the scene of the incident.

The 16-year-old said, “Everyone was surprised to see him cause he don’t usually come there. He just walk in and just went straight to her. The door was open cause my cousin had just come in.”

Elliott recalled that he urgently went to the neighbour and called his brother who immediately arrived on the scene. They solicited the assistance of neighbours and the woman’s body was escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

According to the young man, the last time he saw Scotland was about three weeks ago when he visited his children. He said that the couple used to live at Helen #1, Mahaica but later moved to the mother’s residence in Paradise.

When Kaieteur News arrived at GPHC, relatives of the woman were in a state of disbelief. They related that they had received a call from Adams’s brother who had informed them that Monica Adams was at the hospital. They were oblivious to the fact that she had already died.

Relatives recalled that earlier today, the man had been placing several calls to the woman who kept insisting that she was finished with him.
Her aunt, Beverly Peters said, “They broke up last year and he always saying he gonna kill her.” She stated that the two shared a relationship from since she was around 16 and him 14.

Peters recalled that the relationship had terminated since she was constantly battered by him continuously. “She leff he cause they used to live at the mother house and he used to want beat she in the house. She just get fed up and done with he.”

“I see she today, she was alright but he been calling she phone all day. When I answer he stay quiet but he then block he number and kept calling and calling,” Peters said.

The aunt recalled the last phone call between the two. According to Peters, her niece told the man, “I done tell yuh one thing. I done and that’s it.”

She said that man was “molesting” her niece despite having started a new relationship. “He living with someone in Mahaica but we don’t know what’s he problem.”

Additionally, her brother echoed the words of her aunt as he recalled that there had been unwanted phone calls to the woman earlier that day. “He call she this morning and she tell he to leave her alone that she ain’t want nothing to do with him.”

“He was very annoying to her cell phone. He was very possessive and so on. The two of them used to fight all the time,” the young man recalled. Her brother also said that his sister was a very fun person but described her ‘child father’ as argumentative and abusive.

At the murder scene, blood stains trailed through the house. That was all that reflected what transpired that night. The house was empty but the door was left open.

A neighbour who resides oblique to the murder scene said that when he had returned home, someone called out to him so that he could transport Adams to the hospital.

He said, however, that at that time a bus had already arrived on the scene to transport the woman. He recalled, “I see when they fetch her out but she done look dead already.”

Other neighbours recalled hearing loud screams emanating from the home.
Adams was described as a quiet and cool person by few  known to her who were at the hospital.

Dummy even in the US it is almost impossible to convict it the victim does not press charges.   Recently we saw George Zimmerman walking free after his wife withdrew charges. 

Since you are hard of comprehension I will post the recommendations again, tell me where it recommends govt taking actions :

Preventing Domestic Violence

• Call the police if you see or hear evidence of domestic violence. Get the afc/pnc police to do their jobs and arrest the perpetrators no matter how small the offense, also the PNC/afc magistrates must have the will to sentence the abusers to jail for even minor offenses. 

• Speak out publicly against domestic violence. 

• Take action personally against domestic violence when a neighbor, a co-worker, a friend, or a family member is involved or being abused.

• Encourage your neighborhood watch or block association to become as concerned with watching out for domestic violence as with burglaries and other crimes.

• Reach out to support someone whom you believe is a victim of domestic violence and/or talk with a person you believe is being abusive.

• Help others become informed, by inviting speakers to your church, professional organization, civic group, or workplace.

• Support domestic violence counseling programs and shelters.

You are beginning to get lost in the weeds. There are many ways of assessing this and dealing with it that facilitates victims voices and empowerment. Most women do not want to feel a victim, are of unequal economic and social status in the society and faced with an indifferent  criminal justice system stay hidden. More of them will come forth if there are open community shelters, specialized domestic violence courts and a judical enforcement body sensitized to the issues. Women not only need a voice but need to be empowered. And that is only one side of the equation.

In any event, neither you or I are experts in the field and pretense to clarity an understanding in a field wrought with psycho social complexities not to mention legal issues are outside our arena. The matter before us is a rising death rate and it begs for a response. It can only come in an orchestrated way from the judicial, and social services and these are all controlled by the administration.

You yapping or denying the responsibility of government here will not solve it. But that is what idiots like you do...sit on your hands and say it is beyond you. Posting lists does not mean a damn thing. The government can start with A PSA on the issue broadcasting it's intent to be serious, facilitate special domestic violence courts with trained personnel in the justice system sensitized to the demands of the area. There is a failure to be efficient or neglect in this area and t hat is the only reason we have these incredibly atrocious murder and murder suicide rates.

Now you ketching sense as you finally admit that you are no expert, yet you continue to blame govt despite all the evidence I posted showing that it is a combined effort that will make a difference. Your first instinct is to blame the PPP for a black man stumping his toe, a buckman with shyte stains in his shorts and now domestic violence. Govt can not hide under beds and wait intercept domestic violence when it occurs. It first has to start with society not tolerating this abuse then the victim report the incidents and police and the court taking actions. 

Oi Goads, Iman hear somebody say that you are a "non thinkn duncified goat who does get lost in da weeds" dat true banna?

I know u readin an cyant wait to reply.

goadee man in canada if a spouse make a report for abuse they cannot withdraw the complain it turn a police case now that is law for you guyana have to take drastic action this problem is turning into a epidemic   

 I am not an expert on many things about which I feel eminently qualified to comment on! This is first and foremost an administrative lacking. I do not know that given the immense work in this area in other locales that anyone would deny the problem has to be addressed primarily from a mental health and a criminal law perspective and both of these are the dominion of the government.

Even with respect to curtailing the effects of another causative driver, the generalized sense of male dominance and their sense of the subordination of women in the society, can only be addressed from a broad perspective of community and government cooperation to address these issues.

I do not know what you mean with "buck man with shit stains"...sorry, as habit I change my shorts as necessary. You should do the same and not project your poor hygiene on others.

There are many issues in Guyana that are an administrative lacking, but not this one.  I maintain that it is primarily a social issue that must be resolved at the grassroots coupled with tough enforcement when victims report crimes and press charges. 

Since you wear brown shorts, you will not notice the shyte stains, but it is still the PPP's fault.

sure its a social issue but who will lead by example bar--rat that abuse his wife or ramottar that have a wife and family and is backballing can these people teach our people what it mean to be decent and responsible  

What you maintain to be the case is not a consideration of mine. You are incline to cling like a bramble bush to lots of silly things. The idea of domestic violence and all it entails is merely a social issue as opposed to more important things that is a concern of government is profoundly stupid.
 

Dummy, you are the only one screaming that domestic violence is a govt failing. Notable organizations against domestic violence say its a social issue. But being a Howard grad with a mediocre education, you would not know about citing sources for your claims as this was not covered in your education.

poor u . . . still ain't recover from failing Common Entrance nearly 1/2 century ago, eh klown? [yuh father mussbe prappa beat u lil rass]

"MEDIOCRE" is an apt borrowing for your flimsy vocabulary; look how u reduced to leading a pretend life - hallucinating that u can engage your betters in 'debate' 

         drugabeer

shhhhhhh . . . inferior mind at work

har de har har har har har har har harrr

So what if I am the only one? I was the only one here saying we need constitution reform now it is on the lips of every forward thinking person. I was the only one saying the PPP will be a minority government and they are. 

Please inform us of these notable organization who say domestic violence is not a problem that demands government involvement in areas of judicial reforms, education, mental health and elevating the subordinate status of women in the social and economic sphere. As I often mention; you are that quintessential fool  who in his heart thinks himself wise.

I can see where your substantial education afforded you; a fertile inventive mind to live in a fantasy world where you alone is king and subject of "smart" people!

None mention govt actions as these action items are already in place and a foregone conclusion. Tell us how in the US how and where the people are educated about domestic abuse by govt? Most of the education of the public is a function of private organizations via tv ads, brochures etc. 

Let me clarify for you; everything from efficient child support collections, WIC, equal pay for equal work are directed at easing the idea of women as subordinate in the society and are government directed. The creation of special Domestic violence courts, specialized children welfare services are aimed at the front end of domestic violence as a crime. In the back end are health services counseling, tacking etc.

It is hardly about TV adds and Brochures!

The tv ads and brochures are part of the education process, so now you change your tune to exclude public education as part of the solution. All the aforementioned facilities are in place in Guyana so don't try to insinuate that Guyana does not have a legal system in place for dealing with domestic abuse. So your argument that govt is somehow to blame is unfounded. Give it a rest, at this point you should concede and acknowledge that you were wrong. 

 You are extraordinarily dull and ignorant. I said it is hardly about TV adds and Brochures not meaning to be dismissive but to convey to  you the scope  and complexity of the problems here is vast. You and I started speaking of women murders and the need for government intervention or not. But if it means we expand the coverage so you grasp the meaning of domestic violence then so be it.

 This is about old people and child abuse ( care giver violence), date rape, incest, support of dependent children etc all of which speaks directly to government policies and systems.  Then in our expanded idea of partnership there is gay and lesbian domestic violence, young people dating violence etc.

The necessity for government intervention is not limited to PSAs but directly in terms of legislation, police sensitivity, special domestic courts, social security nets ie shelter, financial support, mental health etc.

You on this shallow excuse that the community needs to take care of these things is as usual just displaying how simplistic if not daft with respect to criticisms of the government. 

Leaving too late: Could these domestic murders have been avoided?

It’s another new year, but it seems 2014 has brought no end to the spate of domestic violence. Merely three days after popping champagne bottles and making New Year resolutions, the county’s newspapers were flooded with news that yet another young mother had been brutally murdered by a jealous man

Siromanie Lokhnauth

Domestic violence can turn deadly at anytime. Often, there are no warning signs – just the tragic outcome that leaves too many questions unanswered for the loved ones who are left with no choice but try to go on with their lives together despite the missing piece they will never have again.

It’s a bone chilling reality for family and friends who have lost someone to domestic violence. How do they cope? Is it easy hearing that you lost a mother, sister, niece, cousin or friend at the hand of a perpetrator who went way too far, didn’t notice the stop signs?

Kaieteur News interviewed some of the families whose loved ones were a part of last year’s horrendous statistics. It was reported that over 24 relationships turned deadly last year.

Like the other families, Sakumtala Bhisundial was stunned by her sister, Geeta Bhisundial’s death. As a matter of fact, she recalls the day her sister’s life was snuffed out by what she described as her sister’s jealous, insecure and possessive husband.

On June 2, 2013, 27-year-old Geeta was allegedly strangled by the man for whom she produced and mothered three children. The suspect, Tarachand “Ramesh” Parbudial, reportedly then tried to hang himself but his suicide attempt was cut short by Sakumtala, who reported that she managed to cut the rope from around his neck.

At that time, little did she realise how bleak the future had suddenly become for her family and more particularly the seven, four and a two-year-old, who would have had no mother to tend to them and a father ‘in the system.’

A reflective Sakumtala said: “Nothing is the same. It is very hard for everyone. At the time, all the adults were helpless as everyone was moved out of their comfort zone. I tell you adjusting is no easy task.”

“I know we have to move on and we try to make the best of everything. We try to be there for the children and support them. They have become more sensitive than other children and are clingier. They are a bit more insecure but we understand that this is tough, in fact it is tough on all of us,” she said.

Geeta Bhisundial and her sister

 

Sakumtala reports that the Preliminary Inquiry into her sister’s murder is currently being heard by Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh at the Albion Magistrates’ Court. There are reports that the victim was physically abused several times prior to her death but she had failed to report to the authorities.

“My sister never reported the matters. She believed in toughing it out and managed to shut everyone out. To be honest, she never used to tell anyone at first but about three months before he killed her the verbal and physical abuse became too much.”

The sister claims that it was at that point that her sister confided in her what had been happening but said that the extent of the abuse was kept from her. “I tried to intervene but sometimes when they ‘patch up’ I get kicked aside,” she recalled.

Geeta it seemed had made it a habit of not wanting to have the family worry about her but her sister strongly believes that had she involved the legal system, she would have been a survivor who could have relayed her story but most importantly her niece and nephews would have had their mommy today.

She said “Had she opened up more and people knew, we could have done something but now we have to mourn her loss.”

The words which the grieving sister left Kaieteur News with were “It is easier to know you have a family member in court for assault, even though they may feel embarrassed. Being the victim of murder is the extremely horrible end.”

Meanwhile, Renuka Chattergoon is still mourning the death of her mother, Siromanie Nadia Lokhnauth. On November 23, 2013, the 42-year-old woman died at the hands of the man she had shared 15 years of her life with.

Reports are that they were experiencing marital problems and were living separate lives for several months. The couple was on the verge of a divorce when the incident occurred.

Siromanie had migrated to the United States of America with her two children when her husband, Deonauth “Moses” Lokhnauth asked her to come home to sign some documents. She returned and was reportedly shot dead in her sleep by her husband. He then killed himself.

When Kaieteur News contacted Chattergoon she said that “Everyone is still in grief. We’re saddened because mom was our backbone.” She said that there is just hate between her and her step-siblings as they are currently trying to come to legal settlements.

Chattergoon recalled that when they all decided to board the aircraft for greener pastures, the plan was to settle in the US. “Now we’re here back in Guyana bonded by court matters,” she lamented.

Like the Bhisundial family, she said that she and her brother are trying to adjust to this change in their life. “We will go back and settle because her wish was for us to have the opportunities available to us.”

“Now we’re picking up the pieces and trying to move on. It’s hard though. I have voice notes from mom that I listen to everyday so it feels as though she is there with me every day.”

“I feel upset all the time and I have a million unanswered questions. The police say that she died of the gunshot but I feel he beat her before he shot her,” she lamented. Chattergoon believes that her step father’s suicide was a cowardly act.

When asked about the relationship her mother shared with the man she said “It was abusive all the time. I lived with them for over a year and he would curse her and fight with her. As a matter of fact, he started hitting her from the beginning, since 1999.”

Chattergoon told this publication that her step father had even resorted to violence to keep their mother away from them. To support her claim, she added that residents of Seaforth Street, Campbellville could verify her claims as they would have witnessed the many times he would “beat her down the street.”

“Yet still she stayed,” the young woman said. According to Chattergoon, her mother was afraid of having yet another failed marriage to her name. She said also that her mother saw it as an opportunity to “build something” for her and her brother.

What is interesting about her story is that Siromanie’s daughter can recall the many visits that her mom made to the Kitty Police Station. “My mom did go to the station. The officers knew about the situation and at one time he had to lodge his gun.”

However, during the time she stayed with her mother she recalled that they had filed for a divorce because of the violent nature of the relationship but “He even threatened her. He warned her that if she left, he would harm her children.”
Chattergoon said that they have never advanced to the courtroom because her mother was afraid and did not want to deal with the ‘embarrassment’ attached to such a situation. As a matter of fact, just like Bhisundial, Siromanie did not want her family to know of the pain she was going through.

The young woman said too that her mother could have been alive today but “A lot of people contributed to this. When mom decided to leave, people begged her to stay and work it out so she second guessed herself. She did not want to be seen as the ‘bad one’ so she took their advice. Had she stuck to her guts, she would have been alive today.”

The young lady further blames the legal system of Guyana. “Guyana needs to work on their laws. They need to take these things more seriously. My step father was a licensed firearm holder. If the police were having complaints about him then they should have taken away his gun.”

They however, failed to properly intervene she said. Her mom she imagines could have been alive today, continuing to help the many less fortunate children who she would have dedicated time to supporting.

You really expect us to believe you care about women in Guyana after how you bullied Manikchand, Sooba and Vonda with derogatory taunting?