Caribbean Statisticians Committee endorses guidelines and protocols on collection, use of data on Violence Against Women and Girls

The Standing Committee of Caribbean Statisticians (SCCS) has endorsed guidelines and protocols on the collection and use of data about violence against women and girls.

The SCCS endorsed the guidelines at its 48th meeting held in The Bahamas, 30 October – 1 November 2023 after CARICOM Member States comprehensively reviewed them earlier this year.

The Committee agreed that resources must now be mobilised at the national and regional levels to pilot the guidelines in Member States.

The endorsement follows a regional workshop in Trinidad and Tobago mid-September to sensitise Member States on the CARICOM Minimum Standards, Ethical Guidelines and Protocols, including data sharing protocols that were developed by the UN Women Multi-Country Office-Caribbean in collaboration with CARICOM and Member States under the UN-EU Regional Spotlight Initiative.

The guidelines and protocols are in line with the Regional Strategy for the Development of Statistics (RSDS) strategic driver and strategic priority; Gender Mainstreaming; and Standards and Harmonisation.

At the sessions in Trinidad and Tobago, Regional Director of Statistics at the CARICOM Secretariat, Mr. Halim Brizan, had pointed out that the guidelines could promote regional integration through the production of high quality, harmonised and comparable statistics on Gender-Based Violence against women and girls.

“This type of data should not be viewed as just mere statistics. It is a beacon of hope for those who suffer in silence, and thus a critical tool for us to effect positive change. Everyone deserves a life free from violence and discrimination with opportunities to realise their true potential.

“It is extremely important that these standards are followed to ensure the production of accurate and reliable statistics which would result in the optimal use of the Region’s scarce resources. It is also important that our governments allocate the much-needed resources to ensure the sustainable production of this data in the region, as the lack thereof can impede policymakers’ response to eradicating this social ill,” he said.

Source: CARICOM TODAY