An activist walks out of a meeting…

I recently participated in a panel discussion on gender-based violence for International Women’s Day. This is a real cry from the heart from women AND men on our neighboring island of Barbados. We need to confront these issues, and to understand the forces that are at work as the Caribbean continues to battle with violent crime. We also need to seriously consider the role of the media (as in this particular instance).

Feminist Conversations on Caribbean Life

A longstanding feminist activist in Barbados walked out of a panel discussion in protest of what she felt were misogynist comments from one of the speakers.

Said speaker is the recipient of the Gold Crown of Merit and has been on a near 15-year tirade of misogyny masquerading as support for men’s interests. His usual line is that women who are murdered by their intimate partners have provoked such violence against them by failing to act appropriately after men have “invested” in the relationship. 

The Nation reported his comments as being about how “some men reacted badly when they felt mistreated by women after “investing” in relationships”. Murder. A bad reaction.

Boyce said also that some men felt intimidated by their partners and that some women held more power in relationships than they let on, to the point where it seemed like “witchcraft”.

The activist (and private citizen) who walked out was…

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