Strengthening Guyana Police Force Training to Improve Responses to Vulnerable Populations

Last week, the Pan American Development Foundation and Dorcas Mending Hearts Ministry co-facilitated an intensive training on how to tackle the issue of Domestic and Sexual Violence (DSV) in the rural indigenous community of Sand Creek Village, Region 9, Guyana. Over four days, participants learned about DSV identification, intervention, prevention, and response, with a focus on clarifying and developing response and referral pathways that would maximize the accessibility of support services for villagers experiencing DSV and increase collaboration between the Sand Creek Community Policing Group (CPG) and the Lethem police station to respond promptly and effectively to cases of DSV in the village.

The 26 participants in the training comprised nine GPF officers from Lethem and Aishalton; four members of the Sand Creek CPG/Village Council, including the Deputy Toshao; the Headmistress and ten teachers and dorms supervisors at the Sand Creek Secondary School; and two representatives of the Wapichana Wiizi Women’s Movement (WWWM), a regional organization dedicated to promoting the rights of Amerindian women. 

On the third day of the training, participants heard from a representative of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security (MHSSS) about the support services offered by the various statutory bodies of Guyana for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. On the final day, participants worked together to craft a DSV Action Plan with specific roles and responsibilities for all 26 members of the newly-constituted DSV Task Force. They also mapped out a DSV Referral Pathway for Sand Creek Village, with clear information (to be posted in public spaces) about how DSV incidents can and should be reported. Finally, PADF and Dorcas distributed 45 DSV handbooks and equipped the members of the DSV Task Force to share the knowledge they had gained with others – teachers, students, parents, CPG/Village Council members, youth group leaders, and survivors – to drive a positive change in attitudes and beliefs about DSV in indigenous communities. Even one incident is too many, and we all have a duty to speak up and support survivors. Stop the Violence, End the Silence!