AS it has been for the past 10 years, a silent protest will be the highlight of November 25, when Jamaica again joins the world in putting the spotlight on the scourge of violence against women, which continues to persist globally.

The protest, being spearheaded by Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL), in commemoration of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW), will take the form of a march from the Police Officers’ Club to the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre.

JASL’s Executive Director Kandasi Walton-Levermore said this is a very important period in the fight to break the cycle of violence against women (VAW), with alarming statistics globally revealing that one in three women experiences some form of gender-based violence.

“And especially for us in Jamaica, we have to pause and see what it is that we’re doing [and] what more do we need to do. Our society is very focused on women as the head of many households in Jamaica and breadwinners for their families. And so, anything that jeopardises their well-being is not just about the woman but literally it’s about the other persons that are in their care — their children, parents, sometimes even the men that they are in relationships with,” she said at this week’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange.

According to statistics from the police, 8,000 domestic violence cases were reported in Jamaica in 2022.

Walton-Levermore pointed out that commemoration of the day is part of a broader programme JASL has in addressing the issue of gender-based violence, with interventions throughout the year.

“It’s not just a one-day thing for us. We have a very active programme. We do screening for gender-based violence with all individuals — males and females, as they encounter our services, whether it is when they are doing HIV testing or whether they are in treatment, and in our outreach activities, we have a few questions, three, or four questions that we normally ask that gives us some indication of what people are going through with this issue.

“And what that has done for us is it shows us where there might be challenges that need to be addressed, that doesn’t necessarily speak directly to the matter of HIV, but it’s a contributing factor and more so it’s something that can prevent any form of therapy, any form of treatment, any form of programme. What we always try to do is to look at what are some of the underlying issues that are affecting individuals and addressing those in an effort to address what our a big ticket item is, which is, of course HIV prevention, treatment, care and support,” she said.

Walton-Levermore said IDEVAW gives JASL a day to shine the spotlight on gender-based violence and to remind Jamaicans that the issue still exists.

“We have to build a society that is supportive of all persons, and one that does not discriminate or do acts of violence against women who are our mothers, and breadwinners and providers and caregivers. It’s hard to pour from an empty cup, so if you find where the person is supposed to be the nurturer is not nurtured and is experiencing violence, or any form of discrimination that affect their mental health, of course, it’s just normal for them not to be able to do all of what we expect them to do. So every year, we go out happily to remind Jamaicans, that let us remember that we need to put an end to violence against women, because it has multiple effects on the society at large,”she said.