SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) – A new law which would see tougher punishment for the perpetrators of violence against women is being proposed by President of the National Alliance and candidate in the January elections Leonard (Lenny) Priest.
Priest’s call comes as St. Maarten joins the rest of the world in observing November 25th as a day of violence against women on the anniversary of the deaths of three women in the United States since 1981. On December 17, 1999, November 25 was designated as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women by the UN General Assembly. “Violence against women in the Caribbean is not a new phenomenon in that it can be traced back since the days of slavery. The problem in the Caribbean is of such magnitude that unless there are tougher laws in place to act as a deterrent the problem will persist. In many cases it is regarded as an everyday normal occurrence with some woman even accepting that it is their partner’s right to abuse them if they displease him. We claim to be part of the modern age and it’s time we begin acting like it and this includes implementing laws that are standard in most developed countries,” Priest states.
I am almost certain that the island’s only shelter for the victims of domestic violence could reveal data that would be very alarming to the general public. However, no matter what that data is if only one female suffers because of violence against her, it is one too many. Therefore, I am suggesting that St. Maarten could implement a law similar to the United States Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA). The VAWA was a United States federal law (Title IV, sec. 40001-40703 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, H.R. 3355) signed as Pub.L. 103–322 by President Bill Clinton on September 13, 1994. This Act provided billions of dollars toward investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, imposed automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allowed civil redress (compensation for injuries sustained) in cases prosecutors chose to leave un-prosecuted. The Act also established the Office on Violence Against Women within the Department of Justice.
“There have been many women over the years on St. Maarten who have lost their lives at the hands of an abusive partner and while none of the situations are acceptable or forgivable, we must do all we can to protect our women and children against violence and that means having the appropriate laws in place,” Priest states. I believe that such a law will receive bipartisan support as this is not a political issue but in some cases the difference between life and death.
There are many persons in society who will join me in a call for tougher laws to punish perpetrators of violence against women, explaining, that the lack of judicial interference is a great challenge as there is a lack of victim support in many cases. “The perpetrator is often never arrested and no attempts made to offer any type of workshops / education to the perpetrator.
We must do everything within our power to make violence against women a thing of the past by supporting legislation to establish tougher laws; establish community violence prevention programs; education and rehabilitation programs for the victims and the perpetrators and provide sufficient funding for these programs. “There are many things we can all do to help put an end to this problem and certainly to make the offenders know it will not go unpunished. It is time we take a stand against this problem and I believe by introducing such a law is a gigantic step in the right direction. I do hope it’s something all parties can come together to see it becomes a reality,” Priest states.
It is also very important that proper victim support services to assist the victims are necessary and that the police require specialist training and dedicated units to deal with abused victims and child abuse. The greatest fear that most victims have other than the embarrassment of the incident is that before leaving the station the abuser is aware that a complaint has been filed against him. The victims must have confidence that their complaints will be handled and not revealed to the perpetrators. We all will agree that the abusers must be punished for their crime more frequently and be put before the Judge and if a custodial sentence is not an option, then a mandatory workshop or programme must be in place for the abuser to attend.
“Let’s not make this just another year we all pay lip service on the day and do nothing to solve the problem. Let’s stand up for our women and put the proper laws in place to protect them, let’s draft that new law or amend any existing laws that can be enforced in record time,” Priest concludes.
Source: Souliga Newsday https://www.soualiganewsday.com/index.php?option=com-k2&view=item&id=28493:priest-a-new-law-as-a-deterrent-to-violence-against-women&Itemid=504
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