Every violent killing must be met with outrage, condemnation

EDITOR: Violence against women has become an issue of major concern across the Caribbean. One can hardly imagine that in a relatively small island of approximately 110,000 people, so many women have lost their lives violently. St. Vincent is definitely not what it used to be in relation to its traditional norm of protecting women. While each case must be taken and analyzed on its own merit, what is certain is that there could be no plausible or justifiable reason for these women to have been killed in the ways they have lost their lives, especially the recent occurrence on a school compound.

The wanton killings, generally, call into question the sacredness of humanity. The fact is, each person is imbued with an intrinsic human dignity, having been made in the likeness of the Divine.

As such, we all belong to the same human race, whatever our gender, race or social class. It is unfortunate that we have reached a stage whereby the sacredness of humanity is being undermined and trampled on. No one has the right to callously take the life of another person, be it male or female, child or adult.

Given the fact that each person is of inalienable value, every violent killing must be met with outrage and condemnation. However, being a woman myself, you will appreciate my personal sympathy regarding the murders of our women. This of course should not be interpreted as an attempt to downplay the killings of our men. But, when some men can resort to violence as a means of resolving conflict

with the women who, in some instances, are the mother of their children, it leaves me to wonder if they have not been seized by an uncontrollable evil spell. Don’t get me wrong! I am not trying to absolve them of their wicked acts; I am only thinking aloud, that no man could be in his right mind to savagely take the life of the woman he once called “honey”, or some other affectionate name.

It is undeniable that women are prerequisite source of procreation.

If the trend continues unabated, the population rate will undoubtedly be threatened. Women are gifted by God to endure the pain of childbirth, nurture and nourish the young and impressionable ones, along with managing our households in many instances, with admirable astuteness.

I call upon the men of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to protect and not to prey on our women; to respect and not to ravage our women; to love and not to “lick” our women and to cherish and not to castigate our women. As we mourn the death of our sister women, let us pledge as a people, that for the rest of the year and the decade, no more women will be murdered.

Santana Morris santanamorrisjm@gmail.com