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“Get God in their life.”
This is the advice to parents from Randolph Bharatt, the father of murder victim Andrea Bharatt.
The 23-year-old clerk at the Arima Magistrates’ Court was last seen entering a taxi in Arima on January 29. Her body was found at the Heights of Aripo on February 4. This has fuelled calls for the protection of women, as crimes against them, many fatal, continue to shock the nation.
Bharatt spoke with Newsday on Thursday during the Tobago signing of a petition which urges Parliament to enact safety measures for women.
The event was hosted by the People Against Domestic Violence (PADA) Tobago in collaboration with the Candlelight Movement at the Port Mall in Scarborough.
Clad in a pink T-shirt with his daughter’s face printed on the front, Bharatt thanked those who came out to sign the petition and offer him words of comfort, saying he was overwhelmed by the support he has received since his daughter’s death.
He had one piece of advice for parents.
“Try and send your children to church. Get God in their life. They need God. First and foremost, they need God. Put God first and everything else after – like people don’t do that any more. They need to put God in their life.
"Something is wrong, and the problem is the parents. It is stemming from home, it has to be a home thing.”
[caption id="attachment_878067" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Concerned citizen Amina Hosein signs a petition on Thursday at Port Mall, Scarborough calling on Parliament to pass laws to provide greater protection for women, children and citizens. - DAVID REID[/caption]
PADA’s founder Dr Kamane Soman said the response to the petition was overwhelming, saying approximately 500 people had signed by 1pm.
“We are standing in solidarity with all those that would have lost their lives at the hands of violence. We’re signing the petition.”
PRO of the Candlelight Movement Kandace Bharath said the petition is aimed at making TT safer for women, girls and citizens generally.
"After lighting candles and having vigils and motorcades, we felt that we need to move forward and we need to do something tangible. So we looked at the entire issues holistically and we identified five points that we think is a start. By no means will it cure every evil in terms of crime but it is a start and it is all geared towards making women and girls safer.
“It is a physical petition where we are asking Parliament, the lawmakers of this country, to do five things to make women, children, girls and citizens safer,” she said.
The main proposals are decriminalising weapons such as pepper spray and Tasers, fast-tracking the use of firearms for women, regulating the “PH” taxi system, a commission of enquiry into the criminal justice system, and systemic regulation of the issuance of motor vehicle licences.
Candlelight Movement committee member and founder of the NGO Is There Not A Cause Avonelle Hector-Joseph said approximately four people who came to sign said they too had lost loved ones, some through murder, and in some cases the bodies had been recovered, while some to date had had no such closure.
“I would like to speak to the legislature, which includes both the opposition and the government, to listen and at least let us, the population, feel that you are concerned about what we are hurting with at this moment, and not to probably sit and hope that this is going to die off. Because it is not going to die off...
“We are really hurting, and everything cannot be changed in a moment. We are speaking to five things and there is a lot more things that need to be changed in our society. But this is a starting point that has been a tipping point – the stories are just unravelling really quick, and you realise how many people are hurting and we can’t imagine.”
The organisers are seeking 100,000 signatures from throughout the country.
 
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