Minister in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Investment, Marsha Caddle.
Minister in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Investment, Marsha Caddle says gender-based violence continues to be an issue and behaviour change as it relates to this has been slow in occurring.
She made this comment while speaking on Monday as a participant in the UN Women Multi Country Office - Caribbean, Media Takeover Instagram Live entitled, ‘Why do you Lead?’.
Referencing her childhood, she said there “was the level of gender-based violence in Barbados” and it occurred in the communities and villages like the one where she lived. She said as a child on occasion she would hear in her “neighbourhood screams of women who were being abused”. This was something she wanted to see change.
“And the truth is, that it is something that for us, I think is, it is a sticky issue and when I say sticky, I don’t think that we are getting to the core of that behaviour change as quickly as we need to. A few weeks ago in parliament, I said COVID-19 as a pandemic is a very serious issue but we have another public health emergency, that is gender-based violence.”
Highlighting a point made by Jamaica’s State Minister in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, Alando Terrelonge, Caddle further said bringing about behaviour change has to start with education during the beginning stages of a child’s development.
“…I think that what he said about how we raise men and women to understand that how destructive this violence and other forms of inequality can be that is critical and that doesn’t start with a workshop through a women’s machinery. That is an important input but it starts when children are zero. It starts with the schools.”
She added, “It starts with how we model behaviour for children because as an economist I can say as far as we get in terms of gender based budgeting and all these things, that is critical, but we seem to have this persistent issue which is the most kind of the most basic, which is protection of our bodies that we are still grappling with and it is something that I feel, it is a part of my responsibility as this new generation of politician to be able to leave something behind in that regards. To make sure that we are really able to address this is in a way that brings about real change.”(MG)