Dr Asha Kambon, public policy expert and board member of the Emancipation Support Committee, has issued a call to action to help the women of Sea Lots, Port of Spain, deliver peace to their community.
Residents of Sea Lots claimed they have been subjected to violent attacks from people living in other areas of their community, and there were concerns of an escalation between those who live along the Beetham Highway and those of Pioneer Drive.
On March 5, approximately 35 women from Pioneer Drive went to the Police Administration Building on Edward Street to complain to acting Commissioner of Police Junior Benjamin that the highway residents were slapping and robbing them whenever they passed. They also claimed there had been attacks on young men in the area on Carnival Monday and Tuesday.
The next day, a team of officers went to Sea Lots and spoke to people in the community, including community leaders, and there were mobile police patrols to try to maintain the peace.
Kambon said, “It is the women of Sea Lots who took it upon themselves to call for action for peace. There is more that can be done to facilitate that peace than maybe some of the suggestions were heard in the news.
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“One is that the women themselves must be central to the discussion. You cannot have a discussion about the women’s peace when you exclude them and you talk to others who you think have some control over the crisis.”
She made the call at the Network of NGOs for the Advancement of Women’s March celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) at Woodford Square on March 8.
Partners of the march included CAISO: Sex and Gender Justice, the Gender and Child Affairs Division of the Office of the Prime Minister, the Equal Opportunity Commission, Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Joint Trade Union Movement Women’s Arm, the Mother’s Union, createfuturegood, Young Women’s Christian Association and others.
Kambon encouraged members of the organisations at the march to contact the Network of NGOs to find a way to give them the support they needed now more than ever. She also suggested they look to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a policy framework outlining how to achieve gender equality and women's rights, for assistance.
“And when we get it right in Sea Lots, we’ll get it right in John John, we’ll get it right in Laventille, we’ll get it right in the Trainline in Marabella. So let’s start in Sea Lots because the women organised themselves there.”
Jacqueline Burgess, coordinator of the Network of NGOs, added that the organisation’s members would contact the women of Sea Lots to find out how the various organisations could help, and not impose themselves on the women.
Speaking about the event, Burgess told Newsday it was to celebrate the gains of women in all spheres, however small.
She said the occasion was usually marked with a large rally, a fair and entertainment but finances did not allow for that this year. Instead, there was a march around Port of Spain down Frederick Street to Independence Square, up Abercromby Street to Park Street and down Frederick Street back to Woodford Square.
The women and a few men marched with signs reading: A woman’s place is in the revolution; Peace on earth begins at birth; Raise awareness; Equal pay for equal work equals social justice; Empower women, transform societies and more. As they walked they chanted slogans like, “My body, my choice; accelerate action; and What do we want? Justice, equality and peace and security.
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Burgess said, “The theme this year is Accelerate Action. We want people to focus on that. Accelerate Action speaks to gender equality because it is estimated that, for true gender equality to be in place, it would take another 200 years. We can’t wait on that so we have to do what we have to do now.”
She added that each of the organisations involved had causes they were working towards including domestic violence, climate change and children’s rights, and all those causes needed accelerated action.
Head of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at UWI Dr Gabrielle Hosein, said IWD had been commemorated in TT since 1958, so it was important to continue the historical legacy and gather on the day.
She said it was well-represented by NGOs and other organisations, but she would have liked to see more of the wider population, including children and teenagers. She invited the general public to come out next year.
“I think it achieves a sense of community, a sense of rejuvenation, a sense of purpose. The march in itself doesn't achieve anything by itself, but what it does is bring a community together to remind us that women's rights do matter and that those rights are related to things like food prices, access to affordable housing, permanent and secure jobs, access to the kinds of care that the society needs and recognition of women's struggles as needing to be addressed.”
At the beginning of the event, Mayor of Port of Spain Chinua Alleyne officially proclaimed the day as IWD.
He told Newsday it was great to be able to support the advancement of women in TT and he was happy to read the proclamation.
“It’s important for us to celebrate our successes and to ensure we keep up the energy to move forward and continue to progress.”
He said the city corporation had a long history of supporting the development and advancement of women. He said Audrey Jeffers was the first woman elected to the city council, the deputy mayor was a woman, half of the councillors were women, and women were leaders in councils, committees and in different departments and divisions.
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Among those present at the march were Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George, Minister of Planning and Development Pennelope Beckles-Robinson, Tabaquite MP Anita Haynes-Alleyne, and former ministers Jennifer Baptiste-Primus, Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan and Hazel Manning.
