Trinidad and Tobago is taking steps to address crime and violence through a Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) approach.
Speaking at a high-level Commission on the Status of Women event, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Kurt Meyer, outlined the country’s efforts to tackle human security issues, including Gender-Based Violence and gang activity.
He said while Trinidad and Tobago may not be in active conflict, the country is in a “state of non-peace.”
Mr. Meyer highlighted the impact of crime and violence, particularly on women and girls.
“Over the period 2019 to 2022, our records show that we have had a total of 8,829 reports of domestic violence. Data from our national violence hotline reveals that a number of reports exceeded 1,600 over the same period. When we drill down into the data, the victims are predominantly women and girls, with the vast majority, over 90%, being under the age of 35.”
Mr. Meyer said Trinidad and Tobago became the first Caribbean country to join the WPS Focal Points Network in May 2023.
“Our WPS agenda emphasises the critical role of women in peacebuilding and conflict prevention. Trinidad and Tobago aims to enhance safety and security, develop effective prevention strategies, increase women leadership and participation. The plan seeks to increase research and data on gun violence, it seeks to increase social cohesion, and address the socio-economic drivers of gun and gang violence, social and behaviour change strategies, and to strengthen State institutions, while at the same time addressing climate resilience, inclusion, and safe spaces.”
Trinidad and Tobago’s National Action Plan on WPS is now before the Cabinet and is expected to be approved by the end of March 2025.
The Permanent Secretary noted a key development under the WPS is the recent launch of Umbuno, an integrated Gender-Based Violence monitoring system.
“In January 2025, we launched an integrated Gender-Based Violence monitoring and information management system called Umbuno. The system was built in-house using local resources, and in its brief two months of operation, it has allowed us to intervene directly in incidents of domestic violence, and we are optimistic that we will see a drastic improvement with our new intervention strategy.”
T&T’s WPS initiative has received strong support from international partners, including UN Women and the Canadian High Commission.