SDC Launches Anti-Violence Campaign in Hanover

The Social Development Commission (SDC) has launched an anti-violence campaign in Hanover, to raise awareness and help stem the occurrence of violence against women and children.

The ‘Violence Prevention against Women and Children’ campaign was launched on May 13 as part of the Hanover SDC’s week of activities, at its Watson Taylor Park office in Lucea, Hanover. The Hanover SDC Week runs from May 13 to 17.

“We mobilised 70 women from around the Hanover community, and the response has been overwhelming. Now we have over 140 women, and we turned back no one. Some of these women are abused, prostitutes, teenage mothers and we target pregnant teenagers to come and get some assistance,” said Hanover Parish Manager for the SDC, Mashario Bisasor, in an interview with JIS News.

“Our major partner for the launch was the Bureau of Gender Affairs. Through their national programme to deal with gender-based violence, they rolled out a number of activities and programmes, and they had a workshop for the women,” he added.

Other partners in the campaign are the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA), the Victim Support Unit and the Jamaica Cancer Society, which offered free pap smears to those in attendance.

“The basis (for the campaign) is really what is happening in the parish, because we have to use current realities to inform our work. The parish has been experiencing a high rate of domestic violence and abuse of women and children. Through our interfacing with the Bureau of Gender Affairs this will be an ongoing thing through the Hanover SDC’s annual ‘Girl Power’ empowerment programme. We realise that the females are disenfranchised in the parish and they need the help,” Mr. Bissasor explained.

The week of activities also includes an Infirmary Interaction Session, Community Development Committee (CDC) Conference and a Local Economic Initiative (LEI) Bus Tour. The bus tour, which is scheduled for May 16, will see the SDC taking approximately 75 stakeholders on a tour of Hanover to visit the parish’s LEIs to see them at work creating various products.

LEIs that are not scheduled for a visit during the bus tour will display products in the courtyard of the SDC Hanover parish office.

“What we are doing in this Week is using the full gamut of SDC programmes to impact the people that we serve,” Mr. Bisasor said.