High rates of violence in the Caribbean hinder development. Gender based forms such as sexual assault, trafficking and domestic violence accounting for some of the criminal activity, leading to an environment of insecurity in many communities.
Violence, including gun and gang violence, can be traced to masculinity - or the social meaning of manhood - which can pressure men and boys to perform and conform to specific roles. These roles traditionally emphasize a superiority of masculine over feminine traits, and aggression as a means of self-expression or conflict resolution.
These tools will strengthen your understanding of violence and the ways it intersects with notions of gender. They provide examples of how socialisation can be harmful to boys, girls, men and women.
Law, policies and budgets must promote multi-sector responses to address gender discrimination and violence. Legislators should utilise both parliamentary spaces and their constituent base to encourage awareness and action.
A key component of the response must be education with an emphasis on early interventions in addition to responses tailored to experiences at all stages of life. Other areas of work may include institutional reform in law enforcement, justice and social services, and the commissioning of data disaggregated across intersecting identities for more informed policy making.
The following resource center outlines country-specific state responsibilities and provisions to address Gender-Based violence across the Caribbean: UN Women Country Resources on Legal Standards for Addressing Gender Based Violence
It is essential that legislators support initiatives that reduce inequalities and transform the harmful aspects of gender relations in society.
In addition to strengthening the legal framework, legislators should promote public debate on masculinities and the importance of men’s participation in initiatives to end violence in all its forms. They should also engage the efforts of civil society organizations that are often involved in advocacy and awareness raising to end violence in their communities.
These tools include references of interest to parliamentarians committed to ending gender based violence: UN Women Virtual Knowledge Centre to End Violence Against Women and Girls
Gender based political violence and harassment is a prevalent challenge expressed by women parliamentarians across the hemisphere, to which the Caribbean region is not immune.
To illustrate the magnitude of the problem and shared objective of political actors in fighting for its eradication, ParlAmericas launched a video project called “Mapping Gender-Based Political Harassment: Parliamentarians speak out.”
This interactive space features testimonies of parliamentarians from across the Americas and the Caribbean on the topic of political harassment and violence. To submit your own video, contact: communications@parlamericas.org
The following practices have been submitted by parliamentarians and related stakeholders, and describe techniques that can be applied to:
Prevent or sanction gender based violence
Flash Quiz Time! Revisit key aspects of this toolkit with a short, self-guided quiz. These multiple-choice questions are intended for personal knowledge review and responses are anonymous. Go ahead and challenge yourself.
