Raising Awareness on Gender-Based Violence among Young Females and Males in Grenada, was a direct response of the Grenada National Organisation of Women (GNOW) community sensitisation co-partnership component, to the programme State Response: To End Violence against Women: Legislative and Policy Reform Programme.
This programme was funded by the United Nations Trust Fund (UNTF) entity to end violence against women (2012–2014). One of the goals of this component has been to address through the intersection of art and activism, not only the harmful effectives of early sexual coercion of the 3–15 years old:
“Sexual coercion begins at an early age for Caribbean children, the first sexual experience of young girls is often forced; studies have shown that this was the case for 42.8% of girls below the age of 12”. (WHO 2002 report on the Caribbean)
More importantly this intervention programme equipped this vulnerable population with knowledge in positive ownership of self, which is an inherent capacity for power, resistance and social change.
GNOW during the period of August 2014 invited Mrs Ava Hutchinson, a Jazz concert pianist, author, and music teacher, to come to Grenada. Mrs Hutchinson utilized a range of artistic forms including music, storytelling, song, dance and poetry to convey information and motivational messages that inspired participants to build and claim [back] their self-worth. This process has now culminated into a CD titled: Moral Ditties for Minors: Forging Ahead, Rising to Life’s Call, which has its genesis in the period during which Mrs Hutchinson was in Grenada.
Mrs Hutchinson will be in Grenada to launch the CD on Friday, 30 October, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, at the University of the West Indies Open Campus, Marryshow House, St George’s; Saturday, 31 October at 1:00 pm at the YWCA, Grenville; and a special session has been arranged for Monday 2 November at the St Theresa RC School, Vincennes, St David from 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm, as an extension to their activities for Child Month 2015.