Barbadians now have an opportunity to say how the incidence of domestic violence is affecting them and their communities.

That is the word from Director of the Bureau of Gender Affairs, John Hollingsworth, who disclosed that enumerators would be in the field during the next three weeks gathering information on the prevalence and demographic characteristics of domestic violence.

“We have moved to another phase of the survey, where enumerators are currently carrying out island-wide field investigations. We are, therefore, urging Barbadians who come into contact with the enumerators to supply the relevant information since the findings will help Government to determine the level of domestic violence in the island, so specific strategies can be formulated. I expect to receive a copy of the completed report by mid-April,” Mr. Hollingsworth said.

He pointed out that the enumerators would be wearing their Caribbean Development Research Services Inc. (CADRES) identification cards and promised that the information collected would be treated confidentially. Members of the public who have queries should contact the Bureau of Gender Affairs at 310-2103, or CADRES at 424-2553.

CADRES is undertaking the survey on behalf of the Bureau and it is expected to complement the recently developed data collection protocol on domestic violence. The true incidence of this scourge is unknown in Barbados, since it is a crime that is seldom reported.

The island’s current data collection systems are considered to be “inadequate due to under-reporting, under-documentation, administrative incapacity, and a lack of appreciation for the use of statistics in the policy formulation and monitoring cycle”.

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