The Institute for Gender and Development Studies at The UWI St Augustine Campus is calling for urgency and care in gender-based violence cases.

It says there have been 28 murders related to domestic violence in 2024, with 1,227 reported cases between January and August 2nd.

In the last two months in particular, it says there have been concurring incidents of violence against women and children, including two consecutive incidents in the last week.

It says those who have been appointed to assist in the protection and support of survivors of GBV must:

• Commit to ensuring that they treat every case with due diligence regardless of the case history of the victim or personal beliefs.
• Recognise that particularly in cases of death, inherent in providing protection is ensuring that victims are not subjected to any form of victim blaming and their well-being is a priority.
• Recognise that the Government and the arms of the state entrusted with addressing issues of GBV are responsible for treating cases of GBV meticulously and with great empathy.