Barbados

Ripple Effect: A Comparative Study of Male Suicide in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Guyana – Part I

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When he was asked what was being done to address male suicide in Trinidad and Tobago, the Minister of Health, Terrence Deyalsingh, said that recently the health ministry had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of the West Indies (UWI) and UNICEF to establish a mental health chatline dedicated only to adolescents and youth. For those in their 30s, and 60 years and over, the national suicidal hotline among other resources would be there to assist. But for 24-year-old, Charran Prem Tom, who’d sought out mental health assistance, it had proven not enough. One of his close friends, Michael (who did not provide his last name), said Charran was depressed for a long time, yet had a smile and laughter capable of lighting up entire rooms. Charran worked as an AC technician and enjoyed going to the gym. Nine years ago in secondary school, Michael met Charran in Form 4 where they became good friends not long after.

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Barbados

Ripple Effect: A Comparative Study of Male Suicide in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Guyana – Part II

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This is a two part series, for Part I please click here. Following Charran’s passing in June, another man, 29-year-old Jeremy Ramcharan from Penal took his life in July. Then, in August, 23-year-old, athlete and barber, Shaquille Josh Benjamin, died by suicide. The family and friends of each of these men said they struggled with depression. Suicide Hotspots in T&T

Based on Central Statistical Office (CSO) statistics, four areas of residence in Trinidad account for the most male suicides between 2016 to 2019: Tunapuna/Piarco, Princes Town, Penal/Debe, and Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, the latter ranking with the highest rate of male suicides with 101 male suicides.

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Antigua & Barbuda

In the Caribbean, Women and Girls Face Daily Threats of Sexual Violence; Getting Justice is Another Ordeal

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For many Caribbean women, few places are safe from the threat of rape or sexual violence. Women report experiencing sexual violence in their workplaces and being violated by people in their towns and villages. Many times, the places that should be the safest for women are the most dangerous: their own homes. Homes are where many children–mainly young girls–are targeted for grooming, molestation and rape by a family member, neighbors or other people they know. Sexual violence of women in the region is so prevalent that Caribbean nations accounted for five of the world’s top 20 rape rates in 2019, according to the World Population Review, which studies demographics around the globe.

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Antigua & Barbuda

She and Her Daughter Share the Same Father

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Survivors of sexual assault in Antigua and Barbuda endure  a long road to justice. The childhood of S was shattered at age 6 when her father began a cycle of sexual abuse. 

The abuse escalated, resulting in her pregnancy at 15 years old. Now 26, S (the initial of her first name) is mother to a 9-year-old daughter, a child born of unspeakable circumstances. S and her daughter share the same father. For two decades, S’s pleas for help were ignored.

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Crime

In Tiny Montserrat, Girls at the Lone High School are Targeted by Predators, Including the Once-Powerful Chief Minister

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Montserrat has a child grooming problem. 

In the last decade, dozens of teenage girls have become victims to older men who target them when they enter Montserrat Secondary School—the island’s lone high school. To entrap their victims, these men give the girls cash allowances, smartphones, groceries and rides home. The victimization of young girls became so pervasive that authorities amended the island’s Road Traffic Act to restrict motorists from installing extremely dark tint film on the windows of their vehicles. Many car owners say the tint shielded them from the scorching Caribbean sun. Authorities said the tint made it easier for the men to conceal their illicit activities.

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Crime

In This South American Nation, Rapes of Women, Young Girls, and Migrants are Rampant

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Victims Often Abandon Their Quest To Put Rapists Behind Bars; Police Are Slow To Act

Clad in all black, the teary-eyed woman could barely compose herself in the witness box of Guyana’s High Court. The mother of the rape survivor was confronting her child’s rapist once again, this time to read her daughter’s letter. 

Fewer than a dozen people, including friends and family of both the survivor and the rapist, gathered in the Georgetown court for the sentencing. Oswald Bedlow, 37, was found guilty of raping a 15-year-old girl, the daughter of a family friend, in December 2022. 

“I would never be able to trust anyone anymore after what Uncle Wally did to me,” the sobbing mother read.  Through her mother, the survivor said she remained traumatised, unable to trust and maintain relationships. The incident affected the entire family who, after she was raped, had to relocate to a new home. 

The scene outside the courtroom before Oswald Bedlow was sentenced to 16 years jail

Bedlow had taken her on a drive.

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Human Trafficking

Tricked into Sex Slavery: Global Crackdown hasn’t Stopped Caribbean Traffickers

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Talia was struggling to make ends meet as a bartender in Santiago, Cuba, when a friend told her about a lucrative job opportunity in Suriname. The 26-year-old mother — who asked to be identified by a pseudonym to protect her privacy — had never heard of the Dutch-speaking country nearly 2,000 miles away. But the promise of a job that would help her provide for her family was too much to ignore. Santiago is Cuba’s second largest city and the home of Bacardi rum, but Talia said it offered few prospects for her: Wages there are low, and many people live without consistent running water or electricity. Talia was living in Santiago, Cuba (above), when she was offered a lucrative job in Suriname.

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Antigua & Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda – More Research Needed

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A debate swirls around whether fish species depletion in Antigua and Barbuda is a current problem or a future threat.  Experts are casting a net over the broader implications for ocean ecosystems and resource usage with livelihoods, diets and recreational activities at risk. The Antigua and Barbuda Fisheries Division reports an overall increase in fish production, with periodic drops linked to economic disruptions and management regulations like the Great Recession and the 2013 Fisheries Regulation. 

Finfish production rose from approximately 1,000 metric tons in 2007 to 1,500 metric tons in 2020. Queen Conch production has remained stable, ranging between 200 to 500 metric tons annually. Caribbean Spiny Lobster production has fluctuated, peaking around 2012-2014, with a post-2015 upward trend, ranging from 200 to 3,500 metric tons annually. Fishery Production Trend courtesy the Antigua and Barbuda Fisheries Division.

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Climate

Trinidad and Tobago: On the Trail of Underlying Factors

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Ten years ago, Trinidad and Tobago’s waters were typically dotted with small boats brimming with bountiful catch as fisherfolk returned to fishing depots in the early morning. Among these fortunate fisherfolk was third-generation fisherman, Andy Williams, who consistently brought in a diverse array of fish such as Snapper, Spanish Mackerel or Kingfish, Cavalli, and Shark. However, Andy revealed within the last decade, “the fish have dropped.”

On a visit to local fishing depots across the islands, other fishermen sang the same song: catches drastically diminished by more than half, leaving local fishermen with measly quotas that barely live up to their former glory. Word Cloud: Most popular words when speaking about Fish Stock in TnT. Future Fishers, a Trinidad-based NGO, conducted a study in 2022 to offer an evidence-based snapshot of Trinidad’s current state of fish stocks along the northeastern coast.

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