Minister of Social Development and Family Services Donna Cox has highlighted the increase in violence against women and girls during the covid19 pandemic, referring to it as the "shadow pandemic."

A statement sent on Wednesday said Cox made these remarks at the Women’s Roundtable Action Platform (WRAPTT) Elimination of Violence (EoV) Project as part of this year’s global observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25), in Washington, DC.

In her speech, she outlined initiatives her ministry had undertake to reduce incidents and enhance protection for women and children.

Cox said police data indicated a noticeable increase in the number of females affected by sexual violence between 2020 and 2021.

These increases ranged from as low as nine per cent in the 15-19 age group to as high as 106 per cent in the 30-34 age bracket. What was alarming is that there was a 62 per cent increase in the number of female victims of sexual violence who were under the age of 15.

"Until September 2023, females accounted for 75 per cent of the reports of domestic violence made to the police, with the remaining 25 per cent made by men.”

Cox said multi-pronged approaches, initiatives and activities are being implemented to raise awareness of and curb the incidence of domestic violence. This includes assessment interviews of individuals and home visits to families to address their immediate needs, done by the ministry's National Family Services division in collaboration with the police. She said WRAPTT has become a crucial partner for the Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago in Washington, providing support in policy mobilisation, advocacy, technical expertise and financial assistance to promote and protect public policy interests.

Cox ended by saying the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services was pleased to participate and present at the roundtable.

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