Founder of People Against Domestic Abuse (PADA) Dr Kamane Soman has said there appears to be a reduction in the number of reported domestic violence cases in Tobago when compared to the start of the pandemic last year.
The group was established in 2016 to provide free counselling, mediation and court support to victims of abuse.
In February, Soman said domestic violence against women was prevalent on the island, largely due to the effects of the Government’s stay-at-home restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus.
But she observed that even before the Prime Minister announced the state of emergency (SoE), the organisation has not been receiving any reports of domestic abuse against women and children. “My NGO has not received any call as yet. But we have put things in place if a woman or family calls,” she told Newsday.
“I am thanking God it is not at the stage where it was last year when the pandemic started. The amount of calls we would have gotten for domestic violence and child abuse would have been a lot compared to now.”
Unlike last year, Soman said women are not calling the organisation to report domestic abuse but to talk about issues in their relationships or how the covid19 restrictions are affecting their livelihoods. “We give them a perspective. Sometimes we tell them they have to watch their tone and body language with their partners.”
Soman said the organisation has received positive feedback. “So far, the calls we have been getting are not as bad where we actually have to go in and remove any women out of a home.” She said many of them are also seeking assistance to access relief grants, food cards and other support.
But Soman noted the organisation has encountered harsh opposition from some men over the years. “We have families where the husband is home but not allowing us to come in and do any kind of talk. “But once the woman calls us, we try to see how we can assist over the phone because that is the only way of communication.”
She said if the lives of the women and children are at risk, PADA would come up with an emergency plan to remove them from the home. Soman believes the covid19 lockdown and SoE provides a unique opportunity for families to thrash out issues.
“When we do this mediation, we get the husband and the kids to come on board also. Everybody has a say in how they are feeling because the kids are affected to.
“They have a lot going on with their online work and it is a bit harder for some of them. So, we get the family to talk a little more about what is happening and then we come up with solutions.”
The post NGO: Domestic violence rates trending down in Tobago appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.
