Who will stand up for abused?

THE EDITOR: A recent viral video of a woman being beaten in a Range Rover reminded me of the many women in our society who are helpless in a country that seems to care very little about our female population.

I remember one morning not too long ago my ex-secretary came to work battered and bruised. She reported her battery to the police and followed all the instructions to get the required medical reports. In the end no one ever visited the abuser and never followed up on her case. Her solution was to leave the country.

I think about the many women who are unable to leave the country. What is their plight?

I am aware of another case where a woman’s life was being threatened, but she could not report the matter as the man involved had links with the police service. Any report would have led to more threats and perhaps her eventual death. She too has left the country.

Krystal A Sital in her book Secrets We Kept spoke about the abuse three women from Trinidad lived through while living here. They too escaped the abuse when they migrated.

Alcohol abuse seems to go hand in hand with the abuse of females and many of our women are daily abused verbally and physically. Their children grow up seeing the abuse and over time conclude that abuse is a normal part of life in some communities.

What is more alarming and extremely sad is the political, social and administrative response to this serious scar in our society. There are many women living with daily abuse, children exposed to this abuse in their homes and communities and there is a sense of hopelessness, as no one seems to care.

I personally know of too many women who lived through abuse, some who still live with abuse and who know that there is no one to turn to for relief.

I remember a friend saying that when her husband was beating her, she ran home to her parents' house. While there, he came and continued to beat her in front of her siblings and parents and they did nothing.

Why are our authorities so silent on this issue? Where is the support and outcry from our churches? Where were the authorities’ voices after the video of a man beating up a girl went viral? We need politicians who care, families that care, people in authority who care, communities that care and men who respect and care for our women.

Until we deal with this issue as a major social ill of our society, our women can only hope for an administration that cares about our female citizens.

STEVE ALVAREZ

via e-mail