WITH one in three women in Jamaica, and globally, subjected to some form of violence within their lifetime, executive director of Jamaica AIDS Support For Life (JASL) Kandasi Walton-Levermore says the organisation stands strong in its fight to end violence against women and girls.

For 10 years, the organisation has worked tirelessly to end violence against women and girls, marching in the streets of Jamaica to foster societal change and legislative actions. In a passionate delivery, Walton-Levermore said that while the reception has been slow, JASL will not be discouraged, and will continue to push for as long as it takes.

“We see different people joining the cause, not at the rate that we would like, but we cannot be silent. We just cannot be silent and not say anything, and say, ‘Because people are not catching on to the message then we have to let it go’. We must be out there, telling people, reminding people,” she said.

“Social change is very difficult, and I’m sure you can tell me things that you’ve been trying to get changed from 50 years ago [or] 30 years ago. When we look at other issues in the country that we’ve had legislation on the books for 30 or 40 years that still have not come to pass, then it’s unfair for us to do 10 years of trying to advocate and trying to bring light to the issue and then to say that the message is not carrying on,” she told journalists at a Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange.

She’s imploring Jamaicans to join the fight and raise awareness, warning that selfishness and their refusal to help others can result in deepening the issue.

“What I notice about Jamaicans, especially when we are talking about social issues, if the issue is removed from [their] personal space, [they] tend to not focus on it or see it as an issue. Over and over, you hear people say, ‘Me never know this would reach me,’ but we’ve been saying to you, it reach so and so however long and it’s just a matter of time,” said Walton-Levermore.

She pointed to legislation such as the Sexual Harassment Bill, which is now law, and amendments to the Domestic Violence Act, saying some progress has been made from a government standpoint, but it is not enough.

“Ten years of trying to get others on board, it’s primarily civil society that is out there. Yes, the Government has some initiatives, but it is not as integrated into the system for us to really develop a national programme. Government, public, private, and civil society need to be able to cauterise the issue, so we still go out there hoping every year that other ears hear,” said the executive director.

She noted that in Jamaica, several households are headed by women, and stressed that if these women are not protected, they cannot effectively carry out their functions as caregivers and nurturers,

“It’s hard to pour from an empty cup,“ said Walton-Levermore.

She was speaking ahead of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which is is observed annually on November 25, to draw attention to the alarming rate of violence against women and call for action from decision-makers to stem the issue. This year, the theme is ‘Every 10 Minutes, a woman is killed. #NoExcuse’.

In 2014, JASL, in commemoration of the day, started hosting events under the UN Trust Fund. These include a march, a stand in silence, and chants to end violence against women, which have been supported by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF).

The executive director said that while the focus has been on violence against women, JASL is shifting its approach to also include incidents of violence against men.

“We do hear the men and that is why. Yes, the focus has been on women primarily, but we are now saying more gender-based violence because we recognise that donkey say the world nuh level, but it really nuh level in all things, so it’s how can we get the men on board, which we would have done over time. We’ve always had men on board helping us to understand things from their perspective and also to support some of the initiatives that are geared towards the women, but we always need more hands on deck to help us to create the balance that is needed,” said Walton-Levermore.

“The truth is, we don’t want violence at all. We don’t want violence against our men, our women, our boys, our girls. Violence in this society is just too common place and so, yes, there is a bigger picture around how are we really going to stem violence in all its forms so that our society can progress the way it needs to,” she said.

JASL members will gather tomorrow at the Police Officers’ Club on Hope Road in St Andrew to march around the Corporate Area. The march will begin at 2:00 pm, moving from the Police Officers Club to the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre, Waterloo Road, down to West King’s House Road, and onto Constant Spring Road, ending at the JASL centre at Hendon Drive. The march will be followed by an outside broadcast that will feature survivors sharing their stories and remarks from key stakeholders, and policymakers.

“We want everybody to come out and to support the event and understand that violence, as we repeatedly say, is both a cause and effect of HIV,” said policy and advocacy officer at JASL, Patrick Lalor.

Lalor, pointing to the correlation between HIV and violence against women, said that women who are in abusive relationships are often subjected to partners who are unfaithful and step outside the relationship, increasing their chances of contracting the virus.

“Prevention is a key part of our work, and we are seeing too many people who were never HIV positive becoming HIV positive because they are in these relationships,” he said, stressing the need to highlight the issue.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women marks the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, which ends on December 10, Human Rights Day.

World AIDS Day will be observed on December 1 under the theme ‘Take the Right Path’. JASL will mark the day with its annual candlelight vigil at St Andrew Parish Church in Half-Way-Tree between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm.