Mr. Bryan Hunt

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First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger and United States Charge D Affairs, Brian Hunt, were among a number of dignitaries that attended and spoke on Friday at the Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre Inc. rally held at, No. 68 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.The aim was to raise awareness about the prevalence of gender-based violence and suicide. The rally was held under the theme, “Silence hides violence; speak out!”Mrs Granger called on the youths to reset their mind-sets and to speak out against social ills such as bullying and domestic abuse to help create a more compassionate society.The First Lady said she fears that violence has become so ingrained in the nation’s psyche that persons have become indifferent to it, while others no longer seem to know how to respond to it.Speaking about violence in the society Mrs Granger wondered why Guyanese are so accustomed to gender-based violence that it amuses us whenever we see it occurring or seeing how prevalent it is in our society.“Is a woman who is not working for a salary, less than a woman who is earning? We have to value the contributions of the women who stay at home and take care of the children… I want you to recognise that every life has value; that every person, male or female, is contributing something to this society in which we live.The start of the march for an end to gender based violenceYoung Berbicians atthe anti violence rally“They are bringing something distinct and God-given when they come into this world and we should help them. Sometimes …some people look at us and laugh.  You’re either too fat or too thin, too tall, too short, maybe our features may not be formed as beautifully as other people’s, but that doesn’t take away from who we are and our essence.”The First Lady noted, too, that while the Government has joined other countries worldwide in observing International Women’s Day 2016, under the theme “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step it Up for Gender Equality” the achievement of this goal requires action from every person.“It is hoped that the world will reach gender parity by 2030, but something that bothers me a lot is how do we get there?“These things cannot happen unless we ourselves change our behaviours.In order to achieve the UN’s 2030 Agenda on gender parity, Guyanese must first take a stand against wrongdoing and practice empathy, within homes and families and within communities.“Sometimes we see a child being bullied in the school and we do not say anything, but this where we should step up and speak out. One of the things we need to do is to look at behavioural change, look at how we see ourselves and how we look at everyone else. One of the things we should think about is respect; respect for yourself and others.”Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Guyana, Mr. Bryan Hunt, also praised the initiative.He stated, “During your march along the road (yesterday) if you changed one life, or allowed one person to walk away from abuse then you have accomplished a lot,” he said.Mr. Hunt then used the opportunity to encourage the audience to utilise their democratic right and vote next Friday when Local Government Elections are held, after a 23-year gap.Also speaking at the activity was Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Protection, Ms. Laurene Baird, who commended the initiative.She said that issues such as suicide and gender-based violence are those which test the moral fibre of a society. She pointed out that Government is cognisant of these issues, and are taking steps to remedy themThis year, the Ministry of Social Protection is focused and is placing emphasis on building strong support systems among other initiative.