By Stabroek News
Copyright stabroeknews
In just a few months, the country has witnessed a chilling string of intimate partner murder-suicides, each one devastating a family and shaking entire communities. Two such incidents occurred in September alone, one in August, and another in July. And these are not the only such cases this year. There were at least two others in April and January. The grim question arises: how many more women, children, and families will have to suffer before decisive, sustained action is taken?
The stories are heartbreakingly similar. On September 14, 36-year-old Alisha Narine of Crabwood Creek was brutally chopped to death by her reputed husband, who then ingested poison and later succumbed. Just weeks earlier, on September 3, Paula Abraham, 50, of Cummings Lodge, was stabbed to death by her partner, who set their home ablaze and later died of the burns he sustained in that fire. In August, ExxonMobil employee Teekadai Atiya Solomon was gunned down by her estranged husband, who then turned the weapon on himself, after injuring their 10-year-old son. In July, Bibi Salima Persaud was beaten to death by her partner, who soon after took poison.
In April, the country reeled at the deaths of Waveny LaCruz and her daughters, Maline LaCruz and Sueann LaCruz, who were all shot dead by Maline’s estranged partner. The man, who also shot and injured Maline’s brother Seon LaCruz, then ingested a poisonous substance and subsequently died. In late January, Bibi Fazila Ally, 34, was murdered by her estranged husband, who ingested poison and later died.
These tragedies echo a pattern identified in international studies: perpetrators are overwhelmingly men, the victims are most often their female intimate partners, and the acts are often preceded by domestic violence, jealousy, or relationship breakdown. In the US, data from 2016 to 2022 showed that more than half of all murder-suicides involved current or former intimate partners, with children often caught in the crossfire.
What makes Guyana’s crisis more alarming is its frequency among this country’s very small population. Global data tracking of these crimes is incomplete. However, what is there indicates that murder-suicides are statistically rare, although there appears to be an under 25% increase since 2020. Nevertheless, Guyana’s repeated cases within such a short span suggest a disturbing concentration. Unfortunately, despite government programmes, training, and repeated commitments to fight gender-based violence, women continue to die at the hands of partners who see control and violence as their only means of resolution.
The explanations behind these acts are complex. Research points to jealousy and revenge following real or perceived infidelity; less frequent motives are financial pressures and untreated mental illness. In all of the local cases mentioned above, as well as the many others over the years, the warning signs were present. Relatives reported longstanding abuse, threats of violence, and imminent separations; the last mentioned usually being the most dangerous moment in abusive relationships. The tragic reality is that families, neighbours, and institutions often recognise the red flags but lack the tools or confidence to intervene effectively.
Addressing this epidemic requires both urgency and a multi-pronged approach. Domestic violence, which is the precursor to murder-suicides as well as the multitude of femicides this country is grappling with, must be ratcheted up to national crisis status. It is a critical public health and security issue. At the policy level, there should be strengthening of screening and intervention mechanisms through schools, workplaces, health services, and the courts to help identify women at risk earlier. Police and judicial responses must be swift and consistent. Currently they are not.
Firearm access must be scrutinized. The August and April cases showed the lethal role of guns in escalating domestic conflicts into murder-suicides. Implementing and enforcing strict gun control measures, including extreme risk protection orders, can save lives by removing weapons from volatile situations.
Of course, prevention must go hand-in-hand with empowerment. President Irfaan Ali’s recent commitment to empower women, expand day-care services, and intensify the fight against domestic violence is a step in the right direction. But these promises have to be backed – and soon – by visible, well-funded programmes. There is a need for more shelters, expanded legal aid and financial independence training, as well as sustained public campaigns challenging the culture of control, jealousy, and toxic masculinity.
It goes without saying too that the country must expand its mental health infrastructure. Some perpetrators of murder-suicides might be struggling with untreated depression and feelings of hopelessness. Access to mental health care remains limited and stigmatised in this country. Integrating counselling and psychological services into community health centres, workplaces, and schools could provide early intervention.
In addition, Guyana must improve its data collection and monitoring. The absence of a centralized global database on murder-suicides makes it difficult to measure the scale of the problem. However, Guyana can lead by creating its own system of documentation, research, and public reporting. Data-driven strategies would allow policymakers and civil society to track trends, identify risk factors, and design targeted interventions.
Murder-suicides do not occur in isolation; they are the tragic end of a cycle of abuse, control, silence, and neglect. In each case, there is not only loss of lives but the shattering of families. Children are left orphaned and severely traumatised, sometimes carrying those scars throughout their lives. Guyana must do all it can to confront this epidemic head-on, with courage, compassion, and comprehensive strategies. Government agencies must work closely with non-governmental and community-based organisations which have the insight and expertise on these issues. As it steps into another five-year tenure, the government has to do much more than trumpet the words zero-tolerance, its every action should reveal that this really is the case.
