A Network Building Workshop to further strengthen the Multi-Agency Committee on Domestic Violence in Anguilla was held this week at the Teachers’ Resource Centre.

It was conducted by Jacqueline Burgess, an administrator with the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA).
Chairperson Dr. Phyllis Fleming-Banks, who welcomed the participants at the opening ceremony, said there was a need to pool resources to combat domestic violence on the island and that it was out of this need that the Multi-Agency Committee was formed. It is a coalition of representatives from various government and non-government organisations. The establishment of the body followed a series of workshops held last year and sponsored by CAFRA which has its head office in Trinidad and Tobago.

Some one hundred and twenty persons were trained. They included police officers, social and community workers, counselors, health personnel and pastors. The aim of the group is to provide education and public awareness on the issue of domestic violence and to support workers and victims.
Ms Burgess, the Workshop Facilitator, told the members of the Multi-Agency Committee that they were on a very important mission. She noted that without a network behind them their response to domestic violence would not be very effective. “The formation of a network like this would really concretise the work you have been doing” she stated.
She advised the committee to work towards making people aware of the consequences of domestic violence, noting the damage it does to the family and the fabric of society. She thought the members were doing a good job and commended them for their work.
Minister of Social Development Eric Reid was pleased that there was an honesty on the part of Anguillians in that they had now come to accept the fact that there was not only domestic violence on the island but that there was the potential for increase. “This new level of honesty can be attributed in great measure to the work of the Multi-Agency Committee on Domestic Violence,” he said. “I commend the members for their efforts and encourage them to continue to sow the seeds of knowledge as regards this issue in our community.”
The Minister continued: “I want to make a particular request of the Committee. In today’s world where men are more and more being marginalised, I want to encourage the Committee to be evenhanded in its approach to domestic violence. The Committee must by activities demonstrate that it recognises that though rare, men are sometimes also victims of domestic violence. I trust that the participants in the workshop will be receptive to the information and ideas that will be revealed to them; and I trust they will continue the practice of educating the community at large.”
During the ceremony mention was made of an Awareness-Building Rally which the Multi-Agency Committee on Domestic Violence will be holding on Monday November 25, commencing at 4.00pm. The rally will be held under the theme “Voices Against Domestic Violence.”
The Vote of Thanks was delivered by the Principal Assistant Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office, Lana Hoyoung.

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