National Congress of Women says Shadick’s hair/rape view regrettable
By Gitanjali Singh
Stabroek News
August 23, 2002
The National Congress of Women (NCW) has described as regrettable the view expressed by Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Bibi Shadick that the cutting off of a woman’s hair was worse than rape.
According to a NCW release, the Minister’s statement, made on Channel 11 on Tuesday, August 12, was in answer to the question by the interviewer about the crime situation with specific reference to women victims, two of whom had allegedly been raped and another had her hair shorn.
Armed bandits had terrorised and robbed Anita Singh and her family on Sunday, August 3 at their home at North Melanie, East Coast Demerara, and had forcibly cut her tresses.
The NCW, the women’s arm of the main opposition PNC/REFORM, asserted that “rape has always ranked among the most heinous of crimes that can be committed against women, (and) regardless of their political, ethnic or religious beliefs and whether they come from modern or traditional backgrounds, women throughout the world have with one voice condemned this brutal act of violation.”
Further, the NCW said, “that any woman should hold Minister Shadick’s view is regrettable.
For a person in Minister Shadick’s position to hold such a view and publicly pronounce on it is unacceptable and cannot and will not be tolerated.”
According to the NCW, by her statement, the minister has shown that she is unfit for public office and the organisation is calling on her to resign forthwith.