Gender affairs bureau sees rise in calls during Christmas

STAR Writer

While the Yuletide season is often highlighted as one of joy, laughter and contentment, it may also come with additional stress and pressure.

Speaking with THE WEEKEND STAR, Sharon Coburn Robinson, principal director of gender affairs said that there has been a spike in telephone calls to the Bureau of Gender Affairs' helpline.

"There is a demand for more funds and there is just pressure on persons. We have had calls from the police station and we had to coordinate and move in quickly, because the person had to leave the space with the two children. This Christmas is just like when you had COVID and it comes with the extra stress, and it is playing out, where the women and children are suffering. There is a stress that comes with not having what is required for Christmas for some persons," Robinson said.

While the majority of the callers are females, she said males have also expressed that during this time of the year, they are loaded with additional burdens and often feel angry or suicidal.

"There are more burdens on the male and higher expectations, and some of them don't get Christmas bonus, but there is an expectation for them to make things happen. They are now placed in a situation where they have to honour these requests and sometimes they don't have it, and this can leave them feeling depressed and their emotions may come out in acts of violence or suicidal thoughts," Robinson said.

She said that each caller is assessed by trained counsellors who offer psychosocial counselling and other interventions, if necessary.

"We do a comprehensive type of care for persons who call. We screen each caller and ask what is it that they want; and the persons who speak to the callers are trained and experienced counsellors with empathy and compassion. They all understand that when somebody calls, it is a genuine case and not one where you take a blanket approach. We understand that each situation is unique, so we do have a range of services that we offer, and options and solutions," Robinson said.

"Sometimes the callers just need someone to give a listening ear with a non-discriminatory approach, and we care," she added.