A Gender-based Violence Hotline
Chester Williams
Domestic violence and gender abuse are prevalent and often times go unreported for a number of reasons. On Wednesday, the National Women’s Commission and the United Nations Population Fund, on behalf of the Spotlight Initiative, handed over a cell-phone to be to be used as a gender-based violence hotline. The presentation was done at the Queen Street Police Station. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams spoke to the media and shared that the hotline will be manned twenty-four hours.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Every effort that we get that helps to eradicate the scourge of domestic violence or gender-based violence is important. Often times, people find themselves in a position where they are being abused particularly women. And for some reason or the other, they are unable to report the abuse because of lack of resources, meaning communication resources or fear. I believe that the hot line that was given to us today will help us to respond more properly to these concerns when they come to us because the victims will now have another access that they can get to the police. Persons who are smart customers couldn’t utilize the toll free number. So if it is that you didn’t have credit in your phone and you know if you have an abuser, the abuser will not give you credit to buy credit and so more than likely your phone won’t have credit. If it is that you have a smart line now, you will be able to access the smart toll free number now that we have easily without having any credit. So, it gives the victims another avenue to reach out to the police to complain and we will be in a better position to respond to these types of violence. I want to say thanks to the women’s department and the other agencies involved in the donation today. I want to assure them and the public that the hotline will be manned on a twenty-four hours basis. And we are going to have our officers prepared to respond to whatever complaints that may come as it relates to domestic violence and gender abuse.”
