UN Women Supports Barbados’ National Domestic Violence Consultation
Date:
UN Women Photo/Sharon Carter-Burke
26 March 2025 - Bridgetown, Barbados: The Government of Barbados, civil society organisations, UN Women Multi-Country Office – Caribbean and other development partners have made good progress in responding to and preventing domestic violence in Barbados.
However Isiuwa Iyahen - UN Women MCO Caribbean Head of Office a.i., stressed that unless we are able to recognise that addressing gender inequality means confronting the cultural harmful norms that whether you are a man or a woman and layered on this, socio-economic differences and the associated privilege or disenfranchisement determines who should have power over another, then all other efforts to prevent Gender-Based Violence (GBV) will not be successful.
UN Women Photo/Sharon Carter-Burke
“GBV in the Caribbean is influenced by a combination of cultural norms and socio-economic disparities. Until we address these norms, no matter how many laws we pass, no matter how many millions of dollars we give for reforming the courts and making them a nice place to come to, until we make people feel empowered and until we are assured that within intimate relationships and all other relationships, that these are relationships of equal human beings, we will continue to see the same problems recur."
Ms. Iyahen was addressing Barbados’ National Domestic Violence Consultation which was held with the support of UN Women MCO Caribbean and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Noting the 30th Anniversary of the framework for gender equality - the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the UN Women Head lauded:
- the country’s legislative strides with the Sexual Offences Act and the Protection Orders Act to which UN Women gave technical support;
- the creation of a specialised DV unit within the Barbados Police Service;
- the CSO and Government support to the safe house and
- UN Women’s technical support on legislation, training on and introduction of the still running Partnership for Peace gender-based violence programme for male perpetrators.
Access Isiuwa Iyahen's presentation here >>
UN Women Photo/Sharon Carter-Burke
UN Women Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation Specialist Angela Davis delivered remarks on Day 2 of the meeting reinforcing UN Women’s commitment to further technical support on:
- Support for the development of a National Action Plan on Domestic Violence,
- Rollout of the updated Partnership for Peace programme,
- Institutional strengthening of duty bearers through the Gender Responsive Policing Programme,
- Support to advance the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
Photo compliments Government of Barbados