This photo was taken at the Closing Ceremony where CIM-OAS made a donation of its publication: Regional Tools to Fights Violence against Women to each of the Heads/Representatives of the National Gender Machinery --From left to right: Valerie Williams, Executive Director, Directorate of Gender Affairs, Antigua and Barbuda Etsu Bradshaw-Caines, Director, Gender Affairs, Saint Kitts and Nevis Jicinta Alexis, Gender Analyst, Division of Gender and Family, Grenada (Elaine Henry-McQueen, Senior Programme Officer, was absent due to illness) Rosie Browne, Director, Bureau of Gender Affairs, Dominica Charms Gaspard, Director, Department of Gender Relations, Saint Lucia Polly Olliver, Coordinator, Gender Affairs Division, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Yasmin Solitahe Odlum, Specialist for the Caribbean/Project Coordinator, CIM-OAS
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As part of the 20th Anniversary of the adoption of the Inter-American
Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence
against Women (Convention of Belem do Para), the CIM in partnership with
the Division of Gender Relations of Saint Lucia, held the Second
OAS Conference entitled: Evaluating National Initiatives and Producing
Comparative Data on Violence against Women for the OECS States.
This conference took place in Saint Lucia from September 23rd to
September 24th, 2014 and it presented the results of the sub-regional
review of state and civil society programmes of the Organisation of
Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to address violence against women within
the last decade. The Conference was inaugurated by Melene Glynn, OAS
Representative to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Marcia
Symphorien, CEVI Expert for Saint Lucia; provided an overview of
implementation of the Convention of Belem do Para in the OECS sub-region
in which she identified the gaps, challenges and achievements.
Hon. Alvina Reynolds, Saint Lucia’s Principal Delegate to the CIM and
its Minister for Health, Wellness, Human Services and Gender Relations
in delivering the keynote address highlighted that: “Improving the
management of data on violence against women is critical for a better
understanding of the scope of the problem and for monitoring
intervention programmes.” She viewed the Conference as providing “an
excellent opportunity to increase the level of the sub-regional
corporation as we exchange best practices, and learn from each other’s
experiences how to use our collective skills and resources, to present
innovative, sustainable and effective responses to gender-based violence
in each of our countries.”
A Roundtable was also held on men as victims
and perpetrators of gender-based violence, which began an important and
timely conversation in the OECS sub-region. At the Conference, it was
recommended that the sub-regional results be presented to the OECS
policymakers following its validation by technical stakeholders.
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