Abused women told to seek help ASAP

NALINEE SEELAL

IN THE aftermath of the murder of Sangre Grande school teacher Margaret Ragoobar Guevarra, the Intl Women’s Resource Network (IWRN) led by Sandrine Rattan yesterday advised all women in abusive relationships to seek help before they become another murder statistic.

Rattan appealed to victims of domestic violence to think carefully and rationally in deciding whether or not to remain in such a relationship especially if the relationship is not salvageable. She said that based on her network’s investigations and a report in yesterday’s Newsday, Guevarra remained silent to keep her family together.

“In fact, remaining in toxic relationships in view of other relatives particularly children, does more harm than good as they (the abused person) would eventually see abuse as normal and acceptable. As a society, we complain about angry and violent youths which are created by these types of unfortunate circumstances in the home,” Rattan said.

Yesterday, the 44-year-old gardener who shot Guevarra last Monday at their Sangre Grande home remained warded in critical condition at Port of Spain General Hospital after he failed to commit suicide by shooting himself in the face with his licensed shotgun. An autopsy revealed that Guevarra died from a single shotgun blast to theright side of her chest. She was laid to rest following a funeral on Thursday.