More Venezuelan women are victims of sexual, gender-based violence in Guyana- NGO tells Inter-American Commission of Human Rights

Last Updated on Friday, 15 November 2024, 22:39 by Denis Chabrol

The non-governmental organisation, Blossom Inc, on Friday told the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) that there are increased cases of Venezuelan migrant women being victims of sexual and gender-based violence mainly in three interior regions of Guyana.

Blossom Inc’s Founder, Dr Ayodele Dalgety-Dean told a thematic hearing requested by the Guyana Equality Forum (GEF) that there has been a “sharp increase” in such incidents, totalling 307 from 2020 to mid 2024. With a significant influx of migrants fleeing the social, economic and political crisis in Venezuela since 2020, she said the “escalation” in sexual and gender-based violence was pronounced especially in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) where 174 cases were recorded.

Dr Dalgety-Dean described Region Seven as a “hot spot” for exploitation and trafficking of Venezuelan females due to the transient population and limited law enforcement presence.

The Blossom Inc official also said that forensic interviews conducted with 41 migrant children between 2020 and 2024 show the intergenerational impact of violence. “These children, many of whom were direct victims or witnesses to acts against their mothers and sisters often exhibit trauma-related symptoms, further complicating their integration into Guyanese society,” she told the IACHR hearing alongside other GEF representatives- Ms. Kinesha Thom of the Guyana Sex Work Coalition, and Twinkle Paul of Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) Guyana.

In her response, Minister of Governance Gail Teixeira informed the IACHR that in 2023, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security provided assistance to  363 victims of trafficking and gender-based violence, “a significant portion of whom were non-Guyanese individuals.”  She said there were now an estimated 40,000 Venezuelan migrants, about five percent of Guyana’s population. She later said the Manager of the Gender-Based Violence of the ministry has confirmed that no report on case information about the 174 cases in Region 7, as reported by Blossom, has been shared with the Ministry of Human Services.

She disputed Blossom Inc’s account, saying that the United Nations agencies that are part of a government-led multi-agency coordinating committee has reported sexual violence against migrants here. “There have been no reported incidents of sexual violence against the migrant population by the UN bodies that have been operating within the migrant community,” she said.  The Governance Minister, however, reported that there were 13 Venezuelans and one Cuban reported domestic violence, resulting in four charges and nine investigations.

But the Head of Blossom Inc said all sources of violence were being reported to the police, leading her to conclude that “obviously there is a breakdown in communication and maybe how things are recorded in the systems.”  She said her organisation was ready to be part of a solution to “ensure that the reports are kind of recorded in a way that is very transparent for all agencies.” Dr Dalgety-Dean also recommended that Blossom Inc be included in the multi-agency coordinating committee t0 allow for the open and clear sharing of information. “We would ask that we are invited to that body and, in this way, I think communication would improve as it pertains to the reporting of cases or the correct reporting so that there is a transparency so we understand that this number relates to migrants, this number relates to sex workers, this number relates to trans. I think that this would help with transparency in the system and to also understand where the numbers come from,” she said.

Guyana Sex Work Coalition representative Ms. Kinesha Thom said that in 2022, through the United Nations Refugee Agency, 17 cases of violence against migrant were reported to police.

Firing back, the Governance Minister said the NGOs must follow the reporting rules especially since they were receiving money from government to support their operations. “When the NGOs come before here and say they have had so many hundreds of cases in four years and so many case in others, but they have not used the mechanisms available, especially if they’re getting funding from the government. Reporting to the police is one thing but they all know that the Ministry of Human Services is the lead ministry,” she said. Ms Teixeira said the Minister of Human Services and Social Security is always accessible to address cases that are falling through the cracks because of the police or an office.  The Governance Minister said Guyana has several layers of institutions, which includes civil society organisations, to address complaints.

Ms Teixeira earlier in the hearing suggested strongly that Blossom Inc did not provide that information promptly to the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security about alleged victims of gender-based violence and share statistics about violence against women. The Minister said if that was not done, government agencies could provide critical intervention to victims “swiftly and responsibly”, potentially jeopardising their safety and well-being.  “The use of data, in this case provided to the IACHR or any other international organisation, is a question of value when this information has not been provided in-country to the relevant authorities in a timely manner to ensure that first and foremost the victims are urgently provided with the necessary referrals and assistance they need when these violations occur,” she said.

In addition to the need to address violence against migrant women and put in place protective measures and support systems, Dr Dalgety-Dean said victims were also being disliked or feared from local authorities and communities. In particular, she said undocumented migrant women were often afraid to seek help from local authorities, though a number of them have been forced into prostitution, beaten and mistreated.

The women and family rights advocate complained to the IACHR that the problems being faced by undocumented migrant females were being compounded by the vulnerabilities of being illegally in Guyana, often afraid to seek help and trapped in a cycle of violence. “Many migrants remain unassisted,” she added.

Citing weak border controls and law enforcement gaps due to porous borders between Guyana and Venezuela, she emphasised the need for enhanced legal protections including law enforcement presence in vulnerable regions and the expanded support services.

The Blossom Inc representative also informed the IACHR panel that the rise in incidence of violence against migrant women in Guyana, particularly in Regions 1 (Barima-Waini), 1 (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and 7 “calls for urgent and coordinated interventions”. “The testimonies from the women highlight not only physical harm they endure but also the emotional and psychological toll that violence has taken on them and their families,” she added.

The Minister of Governance told the IACHR in recent years, Guyana has taken “concrete actions”  to reduce violence against all women including migrants, sex workers and transgender persons. She said Guyanese and foreigners are entitled to all protections and essential services. Saying that in 2024, Blossom Inc received a government subvention of US$285,319 and ChildLink US$197,680, along with international funding, to implement programmes including support to migrant communities.

The Guyana government representative said that while the partnership with the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security is valuable, “the onus is on the NGO such as Blossom to take immediate concrete action like directly support the victims and facilitate timely responses from the appropriate agencies.” “To not to do so is to undermine the whole trust in combatting gender-based violence and the primary objective of protecting the victims,” Ms Teixeira added.

Government efforts so far to combat gender-based violence, she said, included the establishment of 16 gender-based violence units in all regional police divisions, improve police expertise in investigating gender-based violence, and the enactment of new legislation as well as policies and procedures to handle such cases. Ms Teixeira conceded that the police had badly handled a number of those cases, but they were now “dated”.