Press Release : Help & Shelter condemns support for violence at Digicel's concert

Help & Shelter joins with SASOD in condemning the lyrics promoting
homophobia, the culture of gun violence and violence against women of
the Jamaican group T.O.K. at the Digicel concert on 14th February. The
incident in which sexually inappropriate remarks were made to an
underage girl by one of the T.O.K. band members at this concert is
further cause for alarm. We also understand that on arrival in Guyana,
a T.O.K. band member was heard to say that he would show young
Guyanese girls how to behave towards him.

There are a host of other well known Caribbean artistes that project
positive messages to their audiences that Digicel could have chosen
for their concert and we call upon them to do so in future.

Crime figures for 2005 and 2006 recently released by the Guyana Police
Force indicate a 22% increase in murders - a sizable proportion of the
victims of which were women killed by their partners - and a 21%
increase in robbery under arms. To say that these increases are a
matter for concern is an understatement. We cannot be committed to the
reduction of violence in our society if we do not tackle its
glorification through popular channels. The majority of people
attending the Digicel concert were no doubt young and impressionable:
are these the messages we want our young people to receive and is it
not the responsibility of all to challenge these disturbing trends in
our society?

The continued – and, what is worse, increasing - promotion of girls
and women as sexual objects is also a matter of deep concern. The
local images used to advertise clubs, music events, etc are becoming
more and more lewd and vulgar and contribute to the continued
denigration and devaluing of the female gender in Guyana. And yet
prominent businesses regularly affix their sponsorship to these ads!
Added to this is the popular music replete with obscene lyrics played
in minibuses and other public places, which inevitably has an
insidiously powerful effect, especially on young people. The recent
exposure of the correlation between race-based propaganda and
raced-based violence is an important lesson for us. A society that
allows itself to be bombarded with images and lyrics that portray
women as sexual objects and promote violence against women must bear
the responsibility for the results.

The recent Passa Passa phenomenon, which has become widely popular in
Guyana, is also disturbing. Passa Passa events are hotbeds of the most
lewd behaviour, including public sexual acts, full nudity of dancers
etc. In many communities these events take place outside and are open
to anyone, including the young. It is well known that young women are
encouraged and enticed to attend them.

The spread of HIV/AIDS, which continues to be a major health problem
in our society, is without doubt accelerated by lyrics that promote
homophobia and the denigration of women because it certainly does not
promote sexual responsibility, faithfulness or positive behavioural
change.

As an organisation dedicated to the eradication of all forms of
violence, we unreservedly condemn all words and deeds that promote
discrimination against, the denigration of and the use of violence
towards any member of our society.