CAYMAN CRISIS CENTRE APPEAL

With debate surrounding violence against women at a peak, the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre (CICC) is intensifying its outreach effort.

In a news release, the organisation which campaigns against family and gender violence says as the territory’s only women’s shelter, they are committed to combating any form of violence, especially to the most vulnerable.

It suggests that an ongoing high-profile police investigation into assault allegations involving a senior politician might be a ‘tipping point’.

The CICC says it welcomes the open dialogue and understands the outrage that any act of violence against another person should evoke.

Stressing that the Cayman Islands is not immune to the problem, it suggests that “the truth is, violence happens in hundreds, or perhaps even thousands of homes across these islands every year, in addition to incidents outside the home.”

It reports that the RCIPS responded to 2,218 domestic violence-related calls and 747 calls related to child protection in 2018, adding that “there is no way of knowing how many other assaults took place that were not reported.”

In promoting its own efforts against gender violence, the CICC is urging the public to get involved in its ongoing fundraising campaigns, one of which is to “to build a bigger, purpose-built home of healing, that will accommodate both female and male victims of domestic violence.”

The CICC also runs several other programs including its TAYA Lounge, providing support and counselling to at-risk children, conducts school and workplace training on keeping safe, as well as a drop-in clinic.

It urges anyone who has experienced or is at risk of violence to get in touch.