Opposition Spokesperson on Gender Affairs, Denise Daley, has outlined a people-centred strategy to tackle gender-based violence (GBV).
In her Sectoral Presentation to Parliament, Daley, who is also the member of parliament for Eastern St Catherine, called for immediate leadership and practical solutions to end the national crisis.
“The numbers are real, more than one in four women will experience intimate partner violence. But behind every statistic is a mother, a daughter, a sister in pain,” Daley stated. “It’s time to move beyond talk and act.”
Among the People’s National Party’s (PNP) core commitments is the development of a mobile app that allows women to report incidents of GBV using geolocation technology quickly. The app will also support cases of digital harassment, such as stalking and unauthorised tracking. Daley emphasised that privacy and data protection will be key components of the system. Daley also announced plans for a national public education campaign focused on promoting mutual respect from early childhood, as well as the use of predictive analytics to map high-risk areas for GBV.
Daley said that in addition, the PNP will set a gender target of 60/40 for representation on public boards within six months of taking office, conduct tracer studies on graduates of the Women’s Centre to ensure better access to tertiary education and entrepreneurial opportunities, and review and update all gender-related laws to improve enforcement and impact. Daley also outlined that a PNP administration would partner with churches in rural communities to offer shelter for women escaping domestic abuse.
“Our mothers, our daughters, and our sisters cannot wait any longer,” Daley said. “We are ready to lead this fight with technology, education, compassion, and political will.”