Gender on the agenda

JUST last week, a video from Trelawny shocked the country, where a woman was viciously beaten with a machete by a man she had reportedly gone to confront over a car key. As she tried to get away, the man continued to strike her, an attack which unfolded in full view of other men, who tried desperately to stop the beating.

His arrest was swift. The Jamaica Constabulary Force reported that the man, a 42-year-old taxi operator, was charged with unlawful wounding. He is also facing additional charges for sexual offences, where he is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a minor in 2024.

The brutality of the act, and so many others like it that occur like clockwork across the island, leaves many asking, even though the laws are strengthening, is that enough to protect women? Or does the frequency of such attacks indicate a need for a deeper cultural change in our society?

Jamaica has made some important legal strides. Penalties for breaching protection orders have been raised dramatically, more kinds of abusive acts are now encompassed under the Domestic Violence Act, and more people (relatives, social workers, etc) can apply for protection orders on behalf of victims.

In light of the ongoing concern, Gender Minister Olivia Grange has pledged that reforms to the Domestic Violence Act will be her top legislative priority this term, as she says changes to the Act are crucial for ensuring more effective protection for victims and holding perpetrators accountable.

Grange told the Jamaica Observer that now that Parliament has reconvened, she will ensure that the amendments are made top priority — featuring an expanded range of prohibited conduct, including greater penalties against perpetrators, and to make legislation more relevant and more impactful.

But will stricter laws by themselves stop the violence?

“Even as legislation improves, there are multiple obstacles that prevent these laws from fully protecting women, and taking our culture into account should be something that legislators consider as well,” said Counsellor David Anderson, whose church has a host of activities geared around stemming deviant social behaviours in its feeder communities in Kingston.

“Laws are only useful if the police, courts, and other agencies respond quickly and effectively. Many victims don’t report assaults because they doubt the system will help, or because they fear retaliation. Court proceedings are complicated and costly, and protection orders are only meaningful if breaches are taken seriously.”

He said he has noticed in his work that domestic violence is still seen as a private matter, and victim blaming still persists.

“The gender roles still reinforce that staunch male authority, or see women as responsible for keeping peace at all costs. And until attitudes shift, harsher penalties won’t always have the deterrent effect intended,” he warned.

He said for many women, too, leaving or resisting an abuser isn’t just about courage, but about survival.

“The loss of income, housing, or financial support, or fear of being single parents can trap survivors in abusive situations,” he said.

Behavioural disorder specialist Ianeita White said most of our laws focus on punishment after the violence occurs, and there are too few public investment programmes, outside of city areas, to help people who use violence to change their behaviour before it escalates.

“Without prevention, cycles of violence often repeat,” she said. “And even as some younger people are more exposed to ideas of gender equality, consent, and respect, older generations may cling more strongly to traditional views. Also, the education system does not universally emphasise healthy relationships or challenge harmful norms of masculinity.”

Both White and Anderson said to make real change, Jamaica must combine strong legal frameworks with social and cultural transformation.

“We have to ensure that laws are not just passed, but enforced,” White said, “We also need to start in the communities, and deepen education through the schools, churches and even the bars, betting houses and hairdressing shops, about what constitutes healthy relationships, consent, respect and accountability.”

She said there also needs to be a strengthening and widening of support services, to include not just psychosocial help, but economic opportunities to help survivors rebuild.

“And don’t forger to introduce programmes for the perpetrators, to include rehabilitation, counselling and behaviour modification, and not just punishment,” Anderson said.

He said the machete attack in Trelawny isn’t just a tragedy, it’s a warning to the entire society that shows that even with strong laws on the books, violence and impunity persist.

“Without cultural change, without trust in enforcement, and without support for both victims and communities, we will be right here moaning about it again and again,” Anderson said.

“The promises are hopeful, but these promises must also translate into action that will force us all as a society to refuse to accept that violence is inevitable.”