Associate Administrative Assistant for the United Student Movement 2020-2021 regime, Rickelle Alfred.

Photo Credit: Contributed

By: Rickelle Alfred| USM Associate Admin Assistant

Madam Editor,

I remember in my first year before I went to Jamaica to further my studies, my parents sat me down for a talk. They told me I should be careful when I roam the streets of Mandeville, Jamaica. They encouraged me to be careful of who I share my information with.  The typical things parents say to their children before sending them off to university. 

Little did I know the seriousness of what they were telling me.

I also remember for the four years since I’ve been at the Northern Caribbean University, the dorms would invite police officers to speak to us on how we can protect ourselves from anyone who would want to harm us.

This became more serious to me when I started hearing of kidnappings and robberies- not only in the wider Jamaica but right in the Mandeville area.

Since the pandemic started, there have been young women going missing in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. There have been frequent protests to stop the violence against women, and also different hashtags to represent the women who were victims of these crimes.

Women are scared to do their normal routines, fearing that they would be another hashtag on a flyer one day. Women are scared to go in taxis, we are scared to catch the public bus and even scared to give formal greetings- fearing they might take that as consent.

Unfortunately, there was another kidnapping recently that took the life of a beautiful young woman, just a year younger than me; and there have been cries of pain and anguish all over the Caribbean wondering when this will end. We know we are living in the last days and all these disasters will only get worst until Jesus comes.

However, in the meantime, women can protect themselves in case we are found in these situations. 

• Ask God to protect and guide you before leaving to go anywhere. This is extremely important. None of the other methods would make sense if you don’t allow God to guide you.
• Trust your gut feeling. Most times the Holy Spirit gives you are a sign that something might be wrong. When this happens, we should always listen because this might be the very thing that saves your life.
• Make sure you let someone that you trust know where you’re going and how long you should be gone. It’s good to at least tell two or more persons.
• Try as best as possible to take a taxi that you’re familiar with. It could be someone you see every day taking the same route to your destination. 
• Carry a legal weapon you can manage close to you. Something that would be easily accessible just in case you have to think quick on your feet to get away from your perpetrator. 
• Security for iPhone Users. If you press the lock button five times in a row for iPhone users, your iPhone will emit a loud siren, counting down from three and will call the emergency service and text your emergency contacts alerting them of the situation and location. I recommend you should turn off the countdown siren and turn on Auto call so it doesn’t alert the perpetrator. You can search for Emergency IOS to set this up.
• Security for Android Users. There are apps you can download that will have similar properties as the iPhone. For example, here I am, Emergency plus and SOS. Make sure you know how it works before going on the road.

These are some ways we can protect ourselves and give us a little comfort while we are on the road. Remember, we are our brother’s keeper.

So let us lookout for one another. Men lookout for women. It could be a family member or anyone who might need your support. 

“We must unite. Violence against women should not be tolerated, in any form, in any context and any circumstance.”

Remember God will always be here to protect us from danger and he doesn’t give us more than we can bear but let us all do our part to protect our women in these times we’re living in. 

The views expressed in this article are solely the writer’s and not of the Hilltop Trumpet.