The 21st cycle for the Office of Gender Affairs Partnership for Peace (PfP): A Violence Intervention Programme has concluded.

Office of Gender Affairs Coordinator Miss Patricia Hackett said the programme, concluded this month and is a flagship initiative over the last fifteen years to maintain a zero tolerance for domestic violence in the Virgin Islands.

Miss Patricia Hackett said, “Some of the main objectives of the programme are to stop violence in participants’ lives, help them to understand that violence is a choice and to accept responsibility for their behavior, chose new behaviors that are free of violence, and teach participants skills for addressing conflicts when responding to stress.”

Miss Hackett explained that in order for participants to achieve these objectives, a number of subjects/topics are covered in the 16 sessions along with practical activities. These include: Understanding and managing feelings, cycle of violence and taking time out, effective communication, conflict resolution, family history, power and control in relationships, among others. The Curriculum is delivered by a male and female trained and experience facilitators. The classes are observed by the Clinical Supervisor throughout the Cycle.

At the end of each session, participants were required to complete a short evaluation form which provided an insight of participants’ knowledge and understanding of the topics learnt. 

Ms. Hackett indicated that the violence intervention programme is a Court based connected programme where all referrals come from the Magistrates’ Court,” and in some instances from the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. 

Ms. Hackett said, “At the conclusion of the Partnership for Peace programme, the Office of Gender Affairs is required to submit to the Magistrate’s Court a written report of each participant’s progress, attendance and completion of their personal development plan. The PfP Programme Coordinator is responsible for intake and exit interviews and appearance in Court with the participants to present an oral report to the Magistrate.”

The UNWOMEN Expert Group revised and updated the programme’s training manual via consultations with partners in the Virgin Islands and the rest of the Caribbean in 2023/2024. The new manual is expected to come on stream from 2025.  

Ms. Jacqueline Sealey-Burke, a member of the UN Women PfP Expert Team expressed the view “that the PfP has proven to be an invaluable programme over the last 19 years in the Caribbean and should be continued to help perpetrators of domestic violence to achieve a violence free lifestyle”.

The 22nd Cycle of the violence intervention programme is expected to commence soon. The psycho-educational programme was designed and implemented to encourage and support men to achieve a violence-free lifestyle and is based on a 16-session curriculum called Partnership for Peace (UNIFEM Manual, 2009). 

The Government of the Virgin Islands started the PfP in partnership with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) now United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, (UNWOMEN) where they provided technical and financial support for its development and initial implementation.

The Office of Gender Affairs through the Ministry of Health & Social Development continues to promote and conduct programmes that will assist in building healthy and non-violent intimate partner relationships between men and women in the Virgin Islands.