Dear Editor,
In a recent ruling, the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court levied a fine of $200,000 with an alternative of one year in jail to Troyden Evans called “Tuckey”, 42 who pleaded guilty to a charge of Inflicting grievous bodily harm on Ronda Mc Garrell, with a baton.
What message is the justice system sending to abusers by such slaps on the wrist?
The victim in this particular case was subjected to persistent abuse over a period of time at the hands of her abuser.
In fact he was charged in the past with assault, wounding and other offences against the victim. On this occasion he broke her arm! He beat her mercilessly! He threatened her life, not for the first time!
Imagine being told your life is worth $200,000! Is this some kind of joke? A clear message of Zero Tolerance to Abuse must be sent to abusers.
In fact while this letter was being written, The Caribbean Voice learnt of a mother of three fighting for her life after being stabbed seven times by her ex-husband.
We must not wait until another life is lost before we institutionalize penalties to match the crime in Domestic Violence Cases.
As well, we once again call for an urgent national concerted campaign to tackle this scourge. The Caribbean Voice would be willing to be part of such a campaign. We are in the process of finalizing a campaign of our own but we strongly believe that multi stakeholders’ collaboration can get more done for less thereby maximizing resource use and expanding the reach of the campaign.
Sincerely,
The Caribbean Voice Inc.
