In 2020 I was sent a video on my Instagram with a man brutally beating and scolding an adult woman within a Jamaican community. I noticed that there were several individuals who just stood watching and filming the incident. No one tried to assist, intervene, or de-escalate the circumstances.

Having watched the video, I immediately called former Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Novelette Grant to see how we could find the man and get the woman help and protection. The police found the man and the woman, who were in an intimate partner relationship. However, the woman did not want to press charges amid what we all deduced was s a toxic and violent relationship.

I felt angry, frustrated, and helpless, because I was tired of seeing the headlines of our women being slaughtered or murdered by their domestic partners.

Subsequently, I interviewed DCP Grant on intimate partner violence in Jamaica, which I published on my social media pages in two parts with the aim of driving greater public awareness. Interestingly, I received overwhelming responses from people who were unaware of the levels of assault women often endure.

Since then, the headlines of the violence against our women seemed to have increased. The question, though, is: Is it slowly becoming normal in our society and we have become comfortable with it? I can hear it now: “Is just a likkle slap… A just because him love yuh mek him do it.”

But, at what point do we say enough is truly enough and demand better from our men and, by extension, our leaders?

Record of abuse

At 10 years old I had the unfortunate experience of being physically bullied by a young man. He felt I had offended him, so he pushed me to the ground. I jumped up, doubled my fist, punched him across his jaw, and busted his lips. I enrolled in karate classes the following week and told myself I would knock him out nicely and correctly the next time something like that happened. Since then, I have had to defend myself several times as a teenager and in my duties as a Member of Parliament from men who felt they had the right to grab my breasts, wrists, or my bottom.

However, not every woman has the luxury, emotional confidence, physical training, or willpower to protect herself. Nor have they been taught to remain calm in extreme moments of fear when their adrenaline increases. Worst of all, most women do not have the necessities to escape an abusive situation. So, as a society, we must intervene when we can.

Statistics reveal that most women who encounter repeated abuse are emotionally shattered. Often they are placed in a submissive state, in which they feel dependent on their abusers and have no way out, especially when children are involved.

Abuse in Jamaica comes in all forms and all places; it does not discriminate. Watching all the videos and the most recent of the young female student of The University of the West Indies with fresh iron burn marks all over her body, imprinted allegedly by her boyfriend because she “bun him”, burned me up inside as I had more questions than answers.

Immediately, why would anyone want to torture someone they love physically?

What goes into the mind of a human being to use a hot iron and burn another person intentionally?

Nearly 15 per cent of all Jamaican women between 15 years old to 49 years old in an intimate partner relationship have experienced physical or sexual violence from their male partner within the past 12 months. Additionally, gender-based violence in our society shows a high prevalence rate of nearly 28 per cent, with more than one in every four Jamaican women experiencing intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

In 2021 the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) reported that the average murder rate for women in Jamaica was 13 per 100,000, which was higher than the 10 murders per 100,000 threshold for epidemics established by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Have we launched research into the criminal minds of those we have been incarcerated for violent crimes against our women?

Are we prepared, as a people, to take some amount of responsibility to red flag what’s happening next door?

Would you press charges if there are no safe spaces or support systems for victims assuring privacy?

Have we done enough to create specialised task forces to deal with these crimes, so that victims can feel safe to speak about their abuser and get the right help regarding the next steps?

Have we done any studies to determine where these incidents are most prevalent and, subsequently, put in place more social workers, psychologists, and counsellors in the sensitisation and tackling of mental health issues?

Have we created the requisite budgets to establish shelters to support our women who are victims of these kinds of crimes to aid in rebuilding their independence and offering a tangible solution of how to escape the situation, at least?

Are there enough sensitizations campaigns about conflict resolution and how to settle disputes or, better yet, how to reduce our culture which perpetuates: “Lawd, if him nah lick yuh him nuh love yuh… It’s the norm girl, now and then my man slap me, but only when I misbehave?”

We hear the countless horror stories of victims reporting rapes and being asked, “So what were you wearing and why were you walking alone?” Or even, “So are you sure you did not do anything to provoke him to hit you? You didn’t say anything feisty?”

The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sports received a budget of $5 billion for its recurrent expenditure for this financial year 2023/2024. There is no capital expenditure. Some $784 million is to support the “programme for the development and implementation of appropriate policies as well as programmers to address issues relating to gender based violence, inequality and discrimination”.

A closer look reveals that the majority of this budget will go towards assisting mothers with teenage pregnancy through the Women’s Centre of Jamaica.

No more blockbuster speeches!

Our little Jamaica is ranked second in the world for killing women. Yet, to date, we have done nothing differently to bring attention to what would be deemed a crisis in any other country.

Our island also has the largest cohort of women in Parliament, which has changed nothing. Am I right or wrong?

I have often been a champion for the cause that we don’t need women to solve the issues women face, but instead people who are interested in solving problems.

“Mercy!” “Again!” And “Another one?” continues to be the howls, and not whispers, and we remain deaf.

Abusive relationships never start that way. “He changed” is often the remark, and often they get away with it, which only encourages those observing to help to maintain the status quo along the path to doing even more dangerous things.

This problem is not isolated to class and or education; no one is safe from potential perpetrators. Moreover, it’s not a “dung town thing alone”.

The reality that we all know at least one person being abused tells us of the sad state of affairs that persists. I am exhausted from doing the social media threads and tweeting now. But I cannot remain silent from amplifying these messages geared towards bringing change. The time has come for our citizens to dial 911 or scream for help before we hit the record button on our phones. Sometimes our screams for help can change the tides of circumstances for the better.

But, in the end, it’s time we take some responsibility, especially as Government and elected officials, to put an end to the scourge of violence in our society and the levels of brutality meted out to our women.

The first all-women parliamentary sitting will be held this week. The question now is: Are we prepared to do what’s necessary to support our women?

Lisa Hanna is Member of Parliament for St Ann South Eastern, People’s National Party spokesperson on foreign affairs and foreign trade, and a former Cabinet member.