The Regional Consultation of Parliamentarians on Preventing Gender-based Violence ended on a positive note when all the male representatives stood together as one to declare their commitment to work to end violence against women and girls.

Member of Parliament of Curacao, Senator Gilmar S. Pisas, presenting a country report on Curacao’s response to relational violence, a type of gender based violence, moved the resolution. The action complements one of the identified actions of the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon’s UNiTE Campaign’s stated objectives of engaging men as partners in the work to end the scourge of violence against women and girls.

Held at the Terra Nova Hotel in Jamaica, the meeting’s identified outcomes included increased awareness of gender based violence and violence against women among parliamentarians and heightened political will among parliamentarians to take actions to end this violation of human rights.

Coordinated by the Jamaica-based, United Nations Population Fund , Caribbean Sub Regional Office (UNFPA), the Regional Consultation of Parliamentarians is a collaborative effort involving several partners including UN Women, the Inter-American Parliamentary Group on Population and Development (IAPG), the Caribbean Network of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (CNPPD), and the CARICOM Secretariat.

Themed, “Building Political Will to End Gender-Based Violence” , the November 9-10 meeting was one of the initiatives in support of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign.

 For further information please contact: United Nations Population Fund Advocacy/Communications Advisor, Althea Buchanan at buchanan@unfpa.org or Office tel: (878)906-8591/2 or UN Women Communications Specialist, Sharon Carter-Burke at sharon.carter-burke@unwomen.org. 
 

Walcott Richardson, Minister of Home Affairs, Anguilla.

UNAIDS Country Coordinator for Jamaica, the Bahamas and Belize, Dr. Pierre Somse,

Senator Gilmar S. Pisas, Member of Parliament of Curacao.

Victor James, Opposition Member of the Montserrat Legislative Assembly

Chris Dammers, Vice Chairman of the Parliament of Aruba

Honourable Peter Eden Martinez, Minister of Human Development and Social Transformation of Belize

Honourable Frederick Stephenson Minister of National Mobilisation, Social Development, Youth, Sports and Culture of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

(3rd right) Kenneth M. Best Deputy Speaker of Parliament Barbados

Second right David M. Osborne, Parliamentary Secretary Government of Montserrat

(Far right) Senator the Honorable Winston Williams, Minister of State attached to the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda