By Prior Beharry
TOBAONINANS came out on Thursday to sign the petition of the Candlelight Movement calling for better treatment for women in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Candlelight Movement teamed up with non-governmental organisation People Against Domestic Abuse (PADA) in Tobago to make the petition available at the Scarborough Port Mall.
President of PADA Dr Kamane Soman said the support was overwhelming with more than 400 signatures collected.
She said, “We are losing our women and now even our young men as you have seen in the last few days.”
Dr Soman said the collaboration with the Candlelight Movement was easy since it was a cause that they all shared.
She said her organisation had lit candles at the “I Love Tobago” sign after Andrea Bharatt’s death that sparked peaceful vigils throughout Trinidad. The Candlelight Movement was established after these vigils.
Bharatt’s father Randolph was also present at the petition signing on Thursday.
Dr Soman said the man dubbed Daddy Bharatt received a lot of praise and support from Tobagonians.
The Candlelight Movement intends to get 100,000 physical signatures after which it will be taken to T&T’s Parliament to ask the politicians to change the laws to make the country safer for women.
The petition calls for:
- Decriminalisation of non-lethal weapons for women including but not limited to tazers and pepper spray;
- Fast tracking system to obtain a Firearm Users Licence (FUL) for women;
- Registration and regulation of PH taxis to create a system that safeguards the travelling public;
- Implementation of a system of control for the issuing of official motor vehicle license plates; and
- A Commission of Enquiry into the Criminal Justice System.
The petition signing goes to the Barakah Grounds at Endeavour in Chaguanas from 7pm on Friday.
