(CMR) The Cayman Islands Crisis Centre (CICC) has issued a statement this afternoon recognizing that the recent Coral Beach assault of a bar manager by politician McKeeva Bush may very well be the “tipping point” that the people of Cayman need to bring the issue of violence against women to the forefront of public discussion.
Stating that whilst they “abhor” violence against anyone the immense exposure this case has received may now open the dialogue up within the community towards “eliminating gender-based violence, anger, hatred and even ‘locker room talk’ from our society”.
In their statement, they reminded the public that as the island's only women's shelter they are “committed to combating any form of violence, especially to the most vulnerable amongst us. We share the concerns expressed by the community, especially as this is a violent act against a woman.”
They acknowledged that the outrage should be channeled in a positive manner and allows the much-needed dialogue on this topic to be had in a frank and honest way. CICC shared that according to the RCIPS there were over 2,218 domestic violence-related calls and 747 calls related to child protection in 2018 alone. These figures do not account for any guesstimates on how many incidents may not be reported at all.
the truth is, violence happens in hundreds, or perhaps even thousands of homes across these islands every year, in addition to incidents outside the home. Global estimates published by WHO indicate that about 1 in 3 (35%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime .. when a situation like this happens, involving a public figure in a public place, the violence issue, way too long on the back burner, is brought into sharp relief. Perhaps this is what Malcolm Gladwell would call ‘the tipping point’.
“We also must remember that violence is a learned behavior. Perpetrators are solely responsible for their actions. Should they want to change and reform, the most important step is for them to acknowledge their abusive behaviours, be accountable for themselves and take responsibility for their actions.”
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