(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Monday, 8 March saw the launch of the CARICOM Advocacy for Gender Justice Programme, a historic initiative for the advocacy of gender equality and justice. The two-year programme will be coordinated by Dr. Rosina Wiltshire who has been named CARICOM Advocate for Gender Justice. The mandate of the CARICOM Advocate for Gender Justice is to influence research, advocacy and policy; to lessen the perpetration of violence against women and promote justice.

In her maiden address, Dr. Wiltshire described the programme as critical for greater exposure of Gender-based Violence and the consequent need for legislative and institutional reforms.

She saw as necessary, greater efforts to reduce the prevalence of Gender-based Violence, a “systemic and systematic violation of human rights, and an obstacle to economic, social, and democratic development in all countries.”

Speaking at the launch, Dr. Edward Greene, Assistant Secretary-General, Human and Social Development, described the project as an “exciting and bold initiative.” He said that the impetus for an Advocate on gender equality had its history in the early meetings of the Bureaux of Women’s and Gender Affairs and that it found favour in other CARICOM engagements. More recently, he said, it was identified as an action in the Caribbean Community Action Plan for Social and Development Crime Prevention, 2009-2013.

Statistics show that “one in three women will suffer some form of violence in her lifetime that will negatively impact the lives of the survivor and perpetrator; families; communities and society.”

The launch, on International Women’s Day with its theme “equal rights, equal opportunities and progress for all”; took place at the headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana.

The programme is funded by the Government of Spain under the CARICOM/Spain Cooperation Agreement.