SOCIAL ACTIVIST Jeanie Ollivierre has made an impassioned plea begging for persons to leave “God pickney alone” and stop violating them.

The Director of Marion House, who also coordinates a network of 25 non-governmental organisations and is the education officer for the St Vincent and the Grenadines Human Rights Association, was one of the speakers at a press conference held by the National Council of Women on May 18.

Together the organisations tackle many areas of violence in the country, with domestic violence being a priority area. Some of the activities include teaching and facilitating 60 youths, running a parenting program, and caring for a group of 20 domestic violence victims.

“…As women we are the bearers, we are the carriers, we are the vessels of children. We carry them for nine months or less, we give birth and we care and protect them for 18 years, the law says. Sometimes it’s more than that. And yet we have our brothers, our fathers, our stepfathers, our uncles and our sons violating our girls and our women,” Ollivierre said.

The activist who wears many hats but says that she is first and foremost a woman and mother to three daughters and all the groups of youth she mentors, considered “…There is nothing that prevents our male partners from violating us. We don’t understand, we have tried, we are trying.”

Everyones “bodies are the temples of God why would anybody want to humiliate that body and to destroy and to demean that body?” Ollivierre asked.

“…It seems as though we have lost our way. We have lost our way. During the 18 years that we are caring and mentoring and protecting our children we do so in isolation at times, marginalised at times, being vulnerable, being at risk because our same fathers and our stepfathers and our sons

and our uncles are not supporting us. Instead of supporting, they are violating us.”

Ollivierre said she is passionate about the people that she serves.

“Don’t interfere with my young people please! Leave them alone!” she cried out.

“They are God’s gift to us. They are our future leaders, and if we destroy and violate them now we wouldn’t have anybody to lead us,” Ollivierre continued.

“Please I beg of you Vincentians, our fathers, our stepfathers, our uncles, our sons and our nephews – Leave God pickney alone. He made each of us unique. He didn’t make us for anybody to violate us. This is our, this is God’s temple – lef God’s temple alone! I thank you,” she stated.