A terrible year of abuse & death for women, girls in T&T
Like the year 2020, the year 2021 was not kind to the women and girls of Trinidad and Tobago.
By December 15, 31 women and one infant girl had been killed - with dozens more beaten, raped, and attacked, in most cases by people they knew and trusted.
Domestic violence continues to be a significant issue in T&T, and women and girls continue to be brutalized and exploited.
When secondary school teacher Suzette Slyvester was found bludgeoned to death in her Preysal Cova home on January 4, there was widespread condemnation for her husband, Kurt Slyvester. He was charged with Suzette's murder on January 8.
Relatives of the beloved teacher and mother said they did not know Suzette was in an abusive relationship until it was too late.
There was a similar public outcry when Jada Pierre was attacked and left for dead in a field road in Santa Flora on January 8 by her ex-boyfriend. Luckily, Pierre survived the attack and her ex-boyfriend was arrested and charged.
Weeks later, photos surfaced on social media showing a smiling Andrea Bharat, reported missing on January 29.
She had left her job at the Arima Magistrates Court for the day with a coworker. CCTV footage would surface in the coming days, showing Bharat browsing in a pharmacy before getting into a Nissan Versa sedan with fake "H" license plates on King Street Arima. There was a man in the front seat of the car, and the phoney taxi dropped Bharatt's coworker off at her Cleaver Heights, Arima home.
Bharat was supposed to be dropped off at her Arima Old Road home shortly after, but she never made it home.
Her father, Randolph Bharat, called her cellphone when she failed to come home. A man answered, telling Randolph his daughter was not available. When the father begged to hear her voice, the man told him, "This is about money; if you don't pay the ransom, I will cut off your daughter's ears and send it to you."
With social media abuzz about Bharatt's whereabouts, it seemed that the public's interest in the case grew as the efforts of police officers to find her intensified.
On January 30, police arrested two men - Andrew Morris and Joel Balcon, the leading players in Bharatt's kidnapping and murder.
On February 3, news broke that 35-year-old Morris had died at the Arima Hospital.
On February 4, the nation looked on in horror as the news the public had been dreading was broken - Bharatt's decomposing body was found down a precipice in the Heights of Aripo.
She was dressed only in a multicoloured vest and underwear. As media cameras recorded, her father was seen being escorted away from the site, his hands firmly held by a Woman Police Constable.
It was an image that seemed to scar the nation and incensed by her murder and that of countless women and girls before her; communities across the country took to the streets, holding vigils and calling for justice.
Scores of women took to social media to share their stories of being harassed, followed, intimidated, and abused by men while trying to go about their daily lives.
On February 9, Balcon died at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex; stop Autopsies done on the body of both men found they died from blunt force trauma. While their families called for justice, the public pushed back, saying the police had done what was necessary to find the nation's "Angel."
On February 11, 24-year-old Negus George was charged with Bharatt's murder. His common-law wife, Giselle Hobson, 37 was charged with receiving stolen items, including Bharatt's cellphone and clothing.
The days passed by, but for a nation in grief, it seemed as though time stood still.
Bharat's funeral was carded for February 12. As more vigils and candlelight marches were planned for that night, an announcement on social media showed just how deeply the country was affected by Bharatt's murder, as more than 500 businesses announced they would remain closed on the day of her funeral.
By then, word had also spread that Bharatt's favourite colour was pink, and the public was urged to wear pink on the day of her funeral in solidarity with her family.
Her funeral procession was state-like, with hundreds of people lining the streets of Arima as her casket was driven past her workplace, the Arima Magistrates Court. As far as the eye could see, there were people dressed in pink, holding pink balloons, wearing t-shirts with her face plastered on the front - with not a dry eye in sight, as the country as a whole seemed to cry out.
Almost simultaneously, a large crowd gathered outside the Parliament in Port of Spain, calling on both the Government and Opposition members of Parliament to work together to create better legislation to protect women and girls.
Dozens held up posters with Bharatt's image and many other murdered women and girls. Among the citizens' calls was for rapists to be denied bail and for pepper spray to be legalized so women would be able to protect themselves.
Later that day, hundreds of people joined Bharatt's father and other relatives for a vigil at the Eddie Hart Grounds in Tacarigua for another watch.
Inside the Parliament on that day came welcome news from the Government that pepper spray legislation was in the works. Months later, in May, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi laid an amendment to the Firearms Act in the Senate, allowing for the use of pepper spray by public members with a permit.
On June 17, the amendment was passed law with unanimous support from both Houses.
In April, officers of the Special Operations Response Team (SORT) found themselves under heavy scrutiny for the deaths of Morris and Balcon.
On April 19, SORT head ASP Mark Hernandez was charged with misbehaviour in the public office concerning the deaths of Morris and Balcon. Hernandez was stripped of his position, and Superintendent Roger Alexander replaced him.
A Police Complaints Authority (PCA) investigation into the men's deaths were released in October. The Authority found that Morris and Balcon were the "subject of torture" while in police custody.
It was also revealed that the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) was brought in to assist police with their probe into the deaths of Morris and Balcon.
To date, Hernandez is the only officer to have been charged concerning the men's deaths.
31 women, one girl murdered in 2021.
WHERE TO GET HELP
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, there are avenues to get help.
The Office of the Prime Minister has partnered with Eutelmed and UNICEF to offer free and confidential E-counselling services available 24/7.
To access this E-counselling service, log on to caring.eutelmed.com.
Prendre soin de ceux qui vivent loin - Eutelmed
Consultez un professionel de santé en vidéo, dans votre langue et culture Eutelmed est un opérateur international de soin et de qualité de vie . Ce site utilise des technologi
caring.eutelmed.com
and enter the password code: UNICEF-ECA to receive help from competent counsellors.
Seeing it, stopping it, and reporting all violence cases, including child sexual abuse, to the T&T Police Service at 999, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-SAVE (7283), and the Children's Authority at 996 can save a life.
Here are some tips to help you make a difference in the life of someone experiencing domestic violence and child abuse.
You can:
1: Learn all you can about abuse;
2: Teach your loved ones about the signs of a potential victim and an abuser;
3: Actively listen to the victim;
- Do not judge or give unsolicited advice and
5: Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-SAVE for more resources. (Office of the Prime Minister)
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