Director of Raise Your Voice Saint Lucia, Catherine Sealys has criticised how domestic violence cases are handled, blaming systemic failures for allowing abuse to persist.
Her comments follow the brutal attack on four members of the Labadie family—including a five-year-old child—in their Industry, Choiseul home last Friday night. Reports indicate that one of the two attackers was the ex-boyfriend of one of the victims.
“This is domestic violence,” Sealys, a long-time advocate against gender-based violence, stated firmly during an interview. “And it continues to happen because we have a system that allows it to happen.”
Sealys did not mince words. She criticised the way domestic violence cases are handled, from law enforcement to the courts to social services, arguing that victims are often ignored or failed at multiple levels.
“When someone reports domestic violence and the police don’t take them seriously; when you have people going before family court with a broken jaw, broken fingers… and all they get is a protection order that’s barely enforced—what message does that send? It tells abusers they can keep doing this and walk away with a slap on the wrist.” she lamented.
Sealys pointed to gaps in the justice system, identifying cases of severe abuse being sent to family court instead of being treated as the serious crimes they are. She also condemned the practice of pressuring victims into mediation with their abusers rather than ensuring justice is served.
“You have a public service commission and a public service ministry. That should be abolished because all they do is make the life of citizens difficult,” she contended.
Sealys expressed deep frustration at the failure of authorities to properly train law enforcement officers on how to handle domestic violence cases, despite having both resources and the Domestic Violence Act at their disposal.
“This is not just about one case. It’s about the bigger picture. It’s about a system that keeps failing people over and over again,” she said.
Sealys is calling on authorities to take decisive action to protect victims of domestic violence, improve police response, and ensure that perpetrators face real consequences.
“Until we take note of this, this is going to continue,” Sealys warned.
Ms Catherine, I have to admit that your language is gospel. The courts are wasting some people’s time. The reason I say some people is because there’s one particular man from Boisden Jacmel who was arrested for possession of firearms. He was bailed for $50 000.00. Within days the case was dismissed because the police did not show up the day of the case. Up to now the people of Boisden are asking … how that case can vanish so easily. Will other gun cases do the same? I am not afraid you can mention my name.
You guys in 758 are a joke – instead of getting the victim away from the abuser. The article states:
“She also condemned the practice of pressuring victims into mediation with their abusers rather than ensuring justice is served.”
What a sad state of affairs in St. Lucia on just about every level – government, NGOs. etc. etc. You guys need to come out of the dark ages and get yourselves enlightened otherwise too late will be you all cry.
Whoever introduced the concept of mediation to the courts needs to be jailed: in the first place, how does one end up in “mediation” when s/he has pleaded not guilty to the charge? Let’s educate ourselves a bit: to entertain the mediation process (notice, I said process, but that’s beyond the scope of this comment) there must be guilt/remorse and the willingness to “repair the harm” (another process) on the part of the offender/perpetrator. How does that happen if s/he pleads “not guilty”? In essence, I am agreeing with Ms Sealys that mediation is forced … In other words, there is no MEDIATION. Lord help us 🙏