This week in human rights news

Gender-based violence in Trinidad & Tobago 

Sources: Trinidad Express (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), UN Women, Stabroek News, News Americas Now (1, 2), Newsday, 2018 National Women’s Healthy Survey for Trinidad and Tobago: Final Report.

Please note that this story contains mentions of sexual violence, violence against women, and murder.

• Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago are taking to the streets following the brutal killing of 22-year old kidnapping victim Andrea Bharatt, to protest the widespread gender-based violence in the twin island nation.

• Andrea had initially been reported missing on her way home from work on January 29, and her body was found on February 4 just a week later. 

• Hundreds of vigils, protests and demonstrations took place across Trinidad as the country mourned and demanded justice for the victims of gender-based violence. 

• Others have taken to social media to call for stricter legislation. 

• On Sunday, several hundred protesters gathered in Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain, the capital, expressing their anger, hurt, and frustration at the rising crime rate and violence against women.

• Some signs read; “Our rights are not up for grabs. Neither are we”; “Stop protecting rapists”; “Stop telling women how to dress, start teaching men not to rape”; “Pull up on yuh bedrin who tracking school girls”.

• Her death has led to a larger focus on gender-based violence in Trinidad, and in the Caribbean. 

• Two months ago, 18-year old Ashanti Riley also disappeared after getting into a taxi and was found dead a few days later. There are also reports that another young woman is currently missing. 

• Following hundreds of demonstrations across the country, over 500 businesses closed their doors on February 12th to protest these injustices in order to put pressure on legislators and politicians to address the issue and call for real change. 

• Attorney at law, Kandace Bharath-Nahous told Guardian Media that for many, “[t]he tipping point was the brutal murder of Andrea, and before her, Ashanti. I say tipping point because this is where many people, including myself, feel that this situation cannot go on.” 

Gender-based violence in Trinidad

• Globally, 1 in 3 women have suffered physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. 

• For many years, there has been a lack of data for gender-based violence in the Caribbean, but data collected in 2020 revealed that gender-based violence is one of the most widespread forms of violence in the Caribbean, with nearly 50% of Caribbean women facing at least one form of violence: physical, sexual, economic, or emotional. 

• In Trinidad, the data shows that 44% of women experience intimate partner violence (physical, sexual, economic and emotional) in their lifetime. 

• UN Women reported a consistent increase in reported* cases of sexual offences and domestic violence in the last few years.

• In 2020, 416 women and girls went missing in Trinidad, compared to 535 in 2019.

• Trinidad has a population of approx 1.4 million people.

• Gender-based violence has also worsened with COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, as many are calling the increase in violence against women and girls the “shadow pandemic”.

• Between 2000 and 2013, there were 19,078 reports relating to domestic violence incidents, 131 domestic violence related deaths (56% of which were female).

• The 2018 National Women’s Healthy Survey for Trinidad and Tobago’s Final Report found that one in three women who experienced intimate-partner violence did not report it.

• Those who sought help did not go to police or social services citing fear, shame and the normalcy associated with violence.