For someone experiencing domestic violence, knowing that help exists is not necessarily the same as knowing where to find it. A new digital toolkit launched this week is intended to close that gap, bringing more than one hundred national resources together in one place.
Trinidad and Tobago has legislation, protection orders and institutions designed to help people experiencing domestic violence.
But the existence of those measures does not always mean protection is effectively reaching those who need it.
The issue was underscored by the 2024 High Court judgement in the case involving Samantha Stacy Isaacs, who was killed after a period of domestic abuse despite reports to police and attempts to obtain protection.
“That judgement is a sober reminder that the existence of laws and institutions, important as they are, is not the end of the state’s responsibility. Those laws must be capable of being accessed, understood, and applied.”
Government data shows that 33,489 domestic violence reports were made to police between 2010 and 2024.
More than half involved assault by beating, while threats accounted for almost twenty-seven percent of the reports.
During the same period, 443 murders and murder-suicide cases related to domestic violence were recorded.
“The framework has never been the whole story. Law creates the promise. Our institutions, however, must actually keep up with it. Our responsibility as the government is therefore not only to enact legislation, but ensure that persons who require help are heard, protected, and treated with dignity.”
It is against that backdrop that the survivor-focused domestic violence prevention toolkit has been developed.
“I think what was the driving force for us as we worked hard on this toolkit was the thought of a domestic violence victim on her or his bed at night, saying, where can I get help? What can I do? I don’t know where to turn.”
The resource brings together more than one hundred national resources covering areas including law enforcement, medical care, legal services and psychological and psychiatric support.