It has been said that you know the type of country you live in by the way its children, women and elderly are treated. In St. Lucia we have a terrible record in that regard. We seem to believe that atrocities will disappear overnight without a concerted effort by right thinking St. Lucians. There are no statistics available but in my opinion, the majority of St. Lucians are law abiding citizens with a small number causing all the anguish and fear.
It must now be obvious to all that to curtail crime we all must be each other’s keeper. We must look out for one another. In so doing, there is strength in numbers. When our young ladies and men are murdered and the system does not work speedily to bring justice, then we have all failed. When homes can be broken into at will and our women folk are raped and murdered at whim, then stronger laws must be passed and enforced to stem the tide. The legal system must work quickly, as ‘justice delayed, is justice denied’.
I hope the authorities will heed the calls by the Bar Association for reforms and better working conditions. It has been said, and repeated by none other than the late great Nelson Mandela that, ‘justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done’.
Right thinking St. Lucians cannot sit idly by and see their nation decaying in front of their eyes and simply say like the Arabs, ’mektoub’ (it is fate). We must heed the call to help out wherever we can. Too many St. Lucians have no hope and some choose suicide as the avenue for escape from their troubles. If we were listening to the cries of our loved ones, could they have been saved?
Yes, times are rough but believing in the power of God to help us is the only sure thing. We must do all that is humanly possible in this realm and then what is beyond us has to be placed in His hands.
It is with this in mind that the Crisis Centre stands as a beacon of hope in the nation. The Centre is holding a mirror to the nation. It cannot be business as usual, life is precious, treat it that way. Parents should take better care of their children, teaching them to respect the elderly, and men and women should desist from domestic violence; (yes, women are also perpetrators, and some men are victims).They should all learn methods of peaceful negotiation.
PROACTIVE
The Crisis Centre is being proactive by working closely with children from the ages of 5-16 as a way of ensuring that our children are given the nurturing they need and to promote healthy family life, something that is very important if we are to curb the incidence of violence in our society today.
We have an after school programme where children are given meals, spiritual direction, and other support. They are assisted with home work and have the facilities to do research. There are lessons given free of charge by graduates in the following subject areas: Mathematics, English, French, Principles of Business, Principles of Accounts, Office Administration and General Science. There is also the summer and Easter camp and our Christmas celebration that are organized every year where all types of fun things are done with the children.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, let me remind the St. Lucian population that a more concerted effort has to be made to heal the nation. We have a lot of grieving families out there and so there is more need for counsellors and the Church must play it’s role in an even more meaningful way. We must do something now as one life lost by domestic violence/murder /suicide is too many.
In going through the records, I was able to get the following names of men, women and children who lost their lives as a result of domestic violence/homicide. The list is exhaustive but I have reproduced them here LEST WE FORGET the terrible price that the families of the departed ones and the nation have paid.
Berthelie Mangal (2008)
Caroline Jonan Cox (2011)
Josephine Emmanuel (2005)
Feliciana and daughter
Macrina Charles(2007)
Tricia Denis (1998)
Brenda Gabriel (2004)
Valerie Lord (1994)
Mary Henry (1997)
Donna John (1991)
Cynthia Paul (1990)
Karin Paul (1990)
Kentry Paul (1990)
Brenda Gabriel (2004)
Crystal St. Omer (2012)
Alisha Hunte (2011)
Cherise Benoit (2013)
Sherry Ann Myers (2007)
Gizelle Georges (1998)
Pascalina Bertine (2001)
Mary Rackcliffe (1989)
Efay Bertine (2001)
Verlinda Joseph (2002)
Yohan Bertine (2001)
Alfred Jn. Louis (2008)
Donovan Joseph (2008)
Edmund Murray (2011)
Christel Fanus (2012)
Cuthbert D. Maximin (2012)
Takiska Fanus (2012)
Lucan Lesmond (2012)
Dave Monrose (2015)
Yana Auguste (2015 )