St Kitts and Nevis: St Kitts and Nevis have been facing a surge in domestic violence incidents within the past few weeks, and to discuss the issue of domestic violence, St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew called an inter-ministerial meeting to discuss existing institutional challenges and potential legislative amendments to improve the prevention and detection of such incidents.
Along with Prime Minister Terrance Drew, some other senior officers in the Ministry of Social Development and Gender Affairs: Permanent Secretary (PS) Mrs Janelle Lewis-Tafari, Director of Gender Affairs Mr Virgil Jeffers and Senior Gender Officer Mrs Shinelle Charles; Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Andre Mitchell; the Attorney-General Hon. Garth Wilkin; and PS in the Office of the Prime Minister, Ms Naeemah Hazelle.
In the conference PM, Terrance Drew stated that “Domestic violence is a major cause for concern nowadays in St Kitts and Nevis. It is not an issue specific to any particular country or place. Domestic violence is a silent epidemic and one of the leading causes of injury to women.”
Furthermore, he added that “It is critical that we address, sensitize, and educate our people on domestic violence because it affects the entire family structure.”
PM Drew also discussed the incident which happened in Sandy Point last month with the young lady that resulted in the death of a young man and the similar recent incident in Nevis that culminated in the death of two persons and the injury of another is heartbreaking.
Rectifying the issues and challenges within the system is a significant priority item on our legislative and administrative agendas.