Data collection system for domestic violence

Domestic violence has affected the social fabric of societies on a global scale. In the
Caribbean, it is known to persist in domestic settings irrespective of place of residence,
socio-economic status and ethnicity. There have been numerous attempts by various agencies
to obtain a handle on domestic violence. In every instance, the primary objective has been
to meet agency-specific needs and permit such agencies to fulfil their functions within a
larger societal structure. This, agencies such as hotlines, shelters, hospitals, health
centres, police stations and the court system receive reports of cases of domestic
violence and record incidents in order to serve their specific needs. Public sector
departments with responsibility for domestic violence have also been making attempts to
collect and analyze data to facilitate initiatives akin to their social policies and
sustainable development processes, as a whole. The latter hinges upon the availability of
data systems that permit the retrieval of the requisite input data deemed to be necessary
in enabling policy makers and other stakeholders to:

(a);    Obtain a profile of victims and perpetrators,

(b);    Understand the frequency and incidence of domestic violence,

(c);    Identify the groups at risk,

(d);    Develop intervention programmes, and

(e);    Monitor the effectiveness of violence prevention and intervention
activities.

There have been recent efforts by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health
Organization (PAHO/WHO); to develop similar data systems in Latin America and the Andean
region. In Belize, for example, a surveillance system has been developed and constitutes a
useful model as the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean/Caribbean
Development and Cooperation Committee (ECLAC/CDCC); strives to develop a data collection
protocol for the Caribbean subregion.