Welcome to our series of bi-weekly columns under the title “The Gender Corner.” We are focusing on specific gender issues facing our island today. Through this publication we hope to provide thought-provoking and stimulating discussion that will translate into practical ways of effecting positive change. This week we explore the topic of social policy and consider how words in a legislative document pave the way for grounded action toward making a powerful impact in an individual’s life.
Almost one month ago, the largest global meeting on the issue of ending sexual violence in conflict took place in London. Its mission was to shatter the culture of sexual violence with new international protocol and standards to document and investigate this type of violence. The meeting reflects the proactive and detailed approach that must be taken in any act of positive social transformation. Convening at meetings and discussing what ought to be done is starkly different from setting an agenda of what will be done. This message relates to each of us as we look at draft policies in our nation and consider if we are just making another law, or if we are implanting set agenda items backed in accountability, by law.
We are all aware of the Domestic Violence legislation that will soon be revisited at the national level. I recently participated in two radio programmes addressing the topic of domestic violence and our impending legislation. On one end of the spectrum, there were serious concerns over whether policy translates into community change. A University professor of mine used to always say that “policy development is both an art and a science.” The science is in the law, the legislative document and the legal jargon that holds strong to the intended goals of the policy. However, the art is where the interpretation of meaning and the actual action measures come into play. Please follow me with this classic example: I may look at a glass of water and see it half full while others will see it half empty. It does not negate the fact that it is a glass of water and if someone is thirsty, it is not as important as to whether it is half full or half empty, but rather that there is water available for consumption!
Such is the case with policy. There are individuals, families and groups who will benefit from the enactment of laws. In the case of the Domestic Violence legislation, and offering temporary protection to those in need, the potential benefit certainly outweighs the cost. Safety and security must be a priority in any strong nation that hopes to prosper and be sustained. So why do we vehemently question the purpose of this legislation when its sole purpose is to provide vulnerable populations with an alternative to a life of physically violent abuse, emotional battery, psychological confusion and verbal daggers? Please ask yourself, do you want your loved one enduring this state of living? Is not having a strong stance on abuse, whether male or female, the legacy that you want this nation to be known for?
Neither do I. It is time for each of us to recognize that we can each influence the course of human rights, personal security and safety through our laws and in the strategic effect of laws in our individual lives. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once proclaimed, the presence of injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. If we do not value the dignity and worth of our fellow men, women, boys and girls despite their strengths and their faults, then we are not building a strong nation. The strengthening of domestic laws, especially those combatting domestic violence, displays an unwavering commitment to the principles of justice and human rights.
One step at a time, we can consistently address the social issue plaguing our nation. Every action has a consequence. If we are taking the right actions toward our brothers and sisters, then we will not face the legal consequences for inhumane actions. Domestic violence is not an issue that will stay taboo, but the truth will come to light. And when that truth is revealed, how beneficial is it to know that there will be resources available to help transform darkness into light? Social policy is the art reflecting the voice of national commitment. In the Gender Affairs Unit, it is the commitment toward promoting personal change in the attitudes of the general population. It is a pledge to offer support and resources for both the abused and the perpetrator in order to learn how to live a new life. And it is a drive to shatter culturally unhealthy behavior that is being passed on from generation to generation.
To those not in favor of offering rights for those who are abused and opportunities for those abusers to change their mindset, I challenge you to ask yourself, what blockage inside of me prevents me from supporting outreach for the greater good? What behaviors in my past or in my present make me fearful of such legislation that seeks to hold individuals accountable for their negative actions? That is ultimately what policy is intended to do; but a document does not act on its own. We must each seek to bring justice where trouble continues to dwell, and uproot it. That is a confident YES to ending abuse, YES to non-violence, YES to breaking cycles of negativity in the home, and YES to offering protection through policy initiatives.
For more information and resources on what is domestic violence, and how to break the cycle, contact the Gender Affairs Unit. You can reach Ronya Foy Connor, Gender Development Coordinator, at the Ministry of Home Affairs, The Valley, or at Ronya.Foy-Connor@gov.ai, 497-2518.
