Brutal domestic violence incidents as PAHO prepares to beef up health sector response to violence against females

Last Updated on Wednesday, 22 November 2023, 23:53 by Denis Chabrol

As Guyanese police on Wednesday said reported two serious cases of domestic violence, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) announced that it would next week take a major step to improve the way the health sector in the Americas address violence against females.

“To enable the health sector to play this important role, it is critical that staff at all levels is trained in what it means to provide a quality response, what evidence and tools are available to guide their responses, and how to monitor impact,” PAHO said.

The Western Hemispheric organisation said that on November 28, there would be a webinar titled “Strengthening the Capacity of the Health Sector in Response to Violence Against Women and Girls” an event to launch three virtual courses for health workers, health managers, and policy-makers.

In response, the PAHO in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and with the support of the Canadian Government and the Spotlight Initiative, has developed three virtual training courses that aim to build health sector capacity on this important issue. The courses will be made available publicly in the PAHO Virtual Campus for Public Health.

In addition to the launch of these courses, the event will feature a conversation with representatives of PAHO, UNFPA, and other partners as well as selected Member States in the Caribbean about the importance of health sector capacity-building and future directions for the Region.

The Guyana Police Force said 48-year old Cheriel Fredericks of Parika Backdam, East Bank Essequibo, is hospitalised with four of her fingers severed in a cutlass attack allegedly carried out by her reputed husband 43-year old  Micheal Mc Lennon, a farmer of Parika Backdam (Conservancy).

The incident occurred at around 6:30 Wednesday morning at Parika Backdam, stemming from a misunderstanding between the two common-law partners about three weeks ago. Investigators were told that Ms Fredericks left their home at Morashee, East Bank Essequibo, to go and stay with her sister, Lorna Richards, age 58 years, of Parika Backdam.

According to police, at about 6 AM Mr Mc Lennon was working in the area at Parika Backdam and went over to where his wife was staying and pleaded with her to return home and let them fix things between themselves. Police said the woman was reluctant to leave, which caused the suspect to hold her hand to pull her out of the yard. As a result, the woman lashed the suspect in his head with a ‘rolling pin, commonly known as ‘belna’, police said

“The victim’s daughter then rushed in with a cutlass, but the suspect took it away from her which he then used to chop the victim on her left hand, causing her injuries. He then tried to escape and throw away the cutlass in a nearby trench but was captured by neighbours and tied up,” police said.

In another incident, this time at Mahdia, 37-year old Amanda Prince of D’anjou Hill  was charged on Wednesday with attempting to murder her reputed husband, 34-year-old Ashton Courtman on November 19, 2023.

Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce remanded the woman to prison until December 12, 2023.

Police said Courtman and Prince have been living together for the past four years. Investigators were told that November 19 at about 10 PM, the husband and wife were both consuming alcohol at their home. Based on investigations, the suspect’s son asked her to fry plantain but the victim intervened and told his wife that he did not want plantain and she needed to cook rice instead.

“The woman reportedly got angry, armed herself with a small bread knife and allegedly dealt the victim one stab to his right side chest, which caused severe injuries,” police added.

The man was admitted to the Mahdia hospital on November 20 in a stable condition and was later referred to the  Georgetown Public Hospital.

Meanwhile, PAHO also says the health sector can play a vital role in responding to and preventing violence against women and girls. This role includes helping to identify abuse early, providing survivors with care and support, and referring women to appropriate services within and outside the health system. “The health sector must also work in collaboration with other sectors and stakeholders to prevent violence from ever taking place and to generate high-quality data and evidence on what works to prevent violence,” PAHO adds.

To enable the health sector to play this important role, PAHO also adds that it is critical that staff at all levels is trained in what it means to provide a quality response, what evidence and tools are available to guide their responses, and how to monitor impact.