(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community Secretariat is spearheading the development of a project that is expected to reduce the high incidence of violence against women in the Caribbean.

Funded under the CARICOM / Spain Cooperation Agreement, the two-year project seeks to develop a more coordinated and integrated approach to reducing Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the CARICOM region and will cost approximately US$252,000.

CARICOM Secretariat’s Deputy Programme Manager for Gender Development, Dr Halima Kassim presented an update of the Project on Wednesday, 7 October, to the Fifth Meeting of the Bureau of Women’s / Gender Affairs, held at the CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana.

Dr Kassim explained that the project was designed to improve the framework for research, advocacy, public education and policy development for the prevention of Gender Based Violence within the Caribbean Community.

The Project has two main components: the establishment of an Office of the Special Advocate against GBV; and the development and implementation of an advocacy and communication strategy.

The Special Advocate, according to Dr Kassim, will be required to conduct specialised studies on GBV relevant to the Region; raise awareness of the need for further action to develop and strengthen integrated responses which address all social and legal sectors for the purposes of protection, provision of services; justice; and prevention. The Special Advocate will also propose specific recommendations aimed at enhancing Member States’ compliance with their international and regional priority obligations of equality and non-discrimination. As such, the Advocate will be expected to influence policy development on GBV in the Caribbean through advocacy and knowledge provision.

The advocacy and communication strategy will be designed to change attitudes and behaviours of both men and women towards each other especially in relation to managing and resolving conflicts.