MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Stakeholders here say the early intervention in domestic disputes is reaping success with children being far less affected unlike previous years where they suffered in some instances after being left motherless.

Custos of Manchester Garfield Green, chairman of the Manchester Parish Development Committee (PDC) Anthony Freckleton, and head of the Manchester police Superintendent Lloyd Darby, told the Jamaica Observer that interventions in communities plagued by domestic violence have resulted in less severe cases.

“We are seeing the result of a lot of work put in by the police and our partners. We have seen a reduction in issues of domestic violence. We still have one-off incidents, but it is nothing like it used to be in Manchester,” said Darby.

The records suggest that since mid-2020 Manchester has not had any major domestic tragedy similar to some of those which haunted the parish down the years.

Two years ago, the parish was rocked by two incidents which left nine children motherless when three women – Shanalee Bailey, Shanika Dixon and Ilora Mullings – were killed months apart.

Mullings and Dixon were killed on February 5, 2020 at Dixon’s apartment on Knowles Crescent in Mandeville allegedly by her ex-boyfriend. He was arrested and charged for the double murder.

Bailey was found dead on June 4, 2020 inside her one-bedroom house in Heartease, close to Mandeville. The father of four of her five children, who was accused of slashing her throat, was rescued by the police from a mob in the neighbouring community of Grove Mount.

Green said although the situation has improved, he still plans to have a dedicated helpline in place.

“We started the programme in 2019 where we had a number of counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists, pastors on board who would offer their services to people in the community who needed help,” he explained.

“… Because of COVID-19 we delayed. We postponed the (launch) event twice until it eventually died,” he said.

“We still receive calls at our office. The programme is continuing, but to a lesser extent. It is not the level at which we would want it to be,” he added.

He said the programme is to be relaunched under the Beliefs, Values and Attitudes (BVA) initiative.

The BVA programme is aimed at facilitating attitudinal change and social revitalisation.

“Things are in place to have the launch later this year. We have realised that many people were reached. Many people benefited from the programme,” he said.

He pointed to a collaboration with Freckleton’s PDC to focus on social issues in communities.

“We are now looking at moving into those communities to see how we can have some community meetings either through the church, the school or youth groups,” he said.

Freckleton said children who witness domestic violence are scarred.

“You have scarred them basically for life with the trauma that they would have suffered as a result of the violence,” he said.

Darby said children are affected by the violence at home.

“We do not have any unusual increase in instances of domestic violence [in relation to] with children, but we have a lot of indirect ways in which children are affected, because of the violence in the household,” he said.

He added that partnerships with agencies have helped to alleviate and resolve some of the problems.

“There are intervention methods. There are various groups, churches and schools that we partner with to assist us with these issues,” he said.

Freckleton said there is intervention in households and communities affected by domestic violence with the PDC having launched the ‘Mek Wi Talk It Out’ Community Dispute Resolution project in Mile Gully last November.

“We have to nip this in the bud. It might not be at any alarming levels as this moment here right now, but who is to say another few years from now will take on the same complexion as other parishes,” he said.

He believes the inefficiencies of the country’s justice system is partly to be blamed for people resorting to domestic violence.

He added that some people see it as a waste of time.

“The inability of our justice system to respond to the needs of the citizens in a timely manner — and everywhere you go right now the verdict is the same. It doesn’t make any sense to pursue that because it is going to cost so much in time and effort,” he said.