Members of the Seventh Day Adventist churches in St Vincent and the Grenadines held a March and Rally on Saturday to highlight the abuse and violence against women in the southern Caribbean nation.
The event held under the theme ‘End It Now’ saw marches on mainland St Vincent, while motorcades took place on the Grenadine islands.
Women’s Ministries Director of SVG SDA mission Veronica Ambrose speaking at the rally held on the tarmac of the decommissioned E.T Joshua airport where a woman was found dead last Thursday said, the time has come to end the abuse of women and children, highlighting the gruesome deaths of Luann Roberts, Precious Williams among others.
Ambrose said the church will continue to play its role in advocating for an end to violence against women.
“Any abuse perpetrated against women or anyone is evil, and we urge those affected to seek help as soon as possible”, Ambrose said.
Rohand Charles, Treasurer of the SVG SDA Mission, said the church must cry out loudly, not just through marches or social media posts, but also by speaking out against any form of violence.
“It is our responsibility to lend a helping hand to those who are affected by these acts. Let these events not be merely calendar items, but events that change our society for the better”, Charles stated.
Additionally, the parliamentary representative for the area Fitzgerald Bramble spoke about the church’s role in calling out wrongs and taking the message to the highways and byways.
The initiative ‘End it Now’ was introduced in 2009 by the SDA Union as a means of speaking out against the violence meted out to women and girls.
