IAN ALLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Faith Webster (right), acting executive director at the Bureau of Women's Affairs, discusses information from a document with Dr. Imani Tafari Ama, consultant at the bureau.Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter
SEVERAL WOMEN'S organisations have lauded the Jamaican Government for ratifying a convention which will aim to eliminate the incidence of violence against women.
Jamaica ratified the 'Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women, Convention of Belem do Para' last December.
The convention was adopted in Brazil in 1994 and Jamaica is the last of the English-speaking Caribbean to endorse it.
"We are happy that we have finally ratified this convention, as it would definitely give more support to the issue of dealing with gender-based violence," said Faith Webster, acting executive director of the Bureau of Women's Affairs.
SERIOUS ISSUE
Mrs. Webster also told The Sunday Gleaner that violence against women in the society is a serious issue and the convention will augment the bureau's mandate in putting in place strategies and programmes to deal with violence against women and children.
According to Article One of the convention, "Violence against women shall be understood as any act or conduct, based on gender, which causes death or physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, whether in the public or the private sphere,".
"It's about time!" said women's and children's rights activist, Margarette Macaulay.
"This is a long-awaited action on Jamaica's part and I believe it will advance the facilities available to uphold women's rights," she added.
"It is very welcoming because what it does is put on the agenda that women's rights, are human rights," said Judith Wedderburn of Women's Media Watch.
COMMITTED AGAINST VIOLENCE
Mrs. Wedderburn also said the ratification of the convention demonstrates that "we have a commitment as a country" to eliminate violence against women.
Article Two of the convention states that, "Violence against women shall be understood to include physical, sexual and psychological violence that occurs within the family or domestic unit or within any other interpersonal relationship, whether or not the perpetrator shares or has shared the same residence with the woman, including, among others, rape, battery and sexual abuse,"
Candis Hamilton, consultant with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, said Jamaica's ratification of the convention is significant, as it will give women the opportunity to defend their rights if they have been violated.
