ABSTRACT
Gender-based violence in places with colonialist legacies, societal norms of tolerance, and complex bureaucratic legal processes that encourage reconciliation unravels protections for survivors while normalizing inequality. Thus, it is important to examine domestic violence legislation and responses in the largely understudied Anglophone Caribbean nation of Guyana, where violence against women persists. In regard to legislation combating interpersonal violence in Guyana, more than 65 percent of women were unaware of the Domestic Violence Act and that it was intended for their protection. Furthermore, vanishing domestic violence complaints are high throughout the Caribbean region. On the international level, the critique of Caribbean nations’ inability to produce information concerning the effectiveness of legal measures to reduce gender-based violence has resulted in recommendations to increase police training to ensure the protection of women. Yet, these solutions do not address the social stigmatization of victimization where attitudes regarding abuse as a “private family affair” and formal complaints are viewed as dishonorable. Furthermore, the limited capacity of social service organizations, along with inconsistent research regarding gender-based violence, continues to pose a hindrance to adequately addressing violence against women.
