Special Envoy & Women’s Commission Issue Statement on Gender-based Violence

Nicole Usher, a Belmopan resident, was bold enough on Wednesday to speak out against the violence she suffered on Tuesday.  Many women suffer in silence, but Usher publicly claimed she was chocked, attacked with a firearm and her family threatened by Kenzle Hulse, the son of Minister Godwin Hulse, who is her ex-boyfriend.  She took the matter to the court and Hulse was charged with harm.  Today, there were two statements released on gender based violence. The National Women’s Commission says that everyone loses when acts of violence are committed, especially against women and girls. The statement reads that gender-based violence is rooted in discrimination, inequality, power and control.  Silence, stigma and shame have kept it as an invisible crime. The N.W.C. also commends the courage and determination exercised by victims and points out that perpetrators must be held accountable for these violent acts. It concludes that communities must support victims and their families and demand that justice be served if we are to change this culture of violence.

The Office of the Special Envoy also weighed in.  Kim Simplis Barrow says that this case serves to demonstrate the pervasive nature of gender-based violence in Belize and the fact that both victims and perpetrators come from all echelons of our society.  Gender inequality manifests in many ways in our society, including a lack of understanding of shared parental responsibility. The Special Envoy encourages all victims to report violations committed against them and calls on authorities to respond with sensitivity, professionalism and without fear or favour.