Call to probe abuse victim’s protection order

The Coalition against Domestic Violence has called for an investigation into the handling of abuse complaints by murder victim Samantha Isaacs and her application for a protection order.

On Saturday last Isaacs, 26, was abducted and shot in Carenage by Kahriym Garcia, 31, her ex-boyfriend and father of her three year-old son Kaiden.

Isaacs later died in hospital and Garcia shot and killed himself when confronted by police hours later. She was cremated on Thursday after a funeral in Diego Martin.

The coalition in a release on Thursday said the country yet again awoke to the news of a preventable tragedy: the murder of Isaacs by her former intimate partner and someone from whom she sought protection by going to the police and to the court seeking justice and relief.

The coalition pointed out that newspaper reports detailed a perpetrator with a history of violence, including threats of murder against Isaacs and her family members, and according to reports she had applied for a protection order.

“Yet a number of court dates later, the newspapers note that no such order had been made. If this is the case, we need to know why not.”

The coalition said the Domestic Violence Act 1999 makes it clear that applications for protection orders are to be heard with urgency.

“We know that on average, over 10,000 applications are made annually for protection orders. Maybe the backlog on the magistrates’ courts explains the delay in determination. But this is not good enough. This cannot be an excuse.”

The coalition stressed police must investigate and prosecute domestic violence, whether or not a woman applies for a protection order. The coalition also said victims of domestic violence must be guaranteed timely and effective access to courts and court officials must have a deep understanding of the dynamics of domestic violence and of their responsibilities for preventing further violence.

“But even if the courts function as they should,” it added, “ending all forms of domestic violence will require addressing the root causes. The great majority of applicants for protection orders are women and we cannot ignore that domestic violence is an indication of inequality. Ending domestic violence can be accomplished but only with a profound commitment to peace and justice and to the elimination of toxic ideas about men’s power and control over women.”

The coalition said 18 years after it was enacted, the time had come for a review of the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act to improve the law and its administration.

“We need to end impunity for domestic violence. We need to protect and save lives.”