Hon. Emma Hippolyte gave her statement on the death of Joy St. Omer

Añadido: 2026-05-23

[00:00:05]Fellow Saint Lucians, as Minister of Equity, Social Justice, Gender, Older Persons, Labour, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs, as a woman and as a citizen of Saint Lucia, I add my voice in denouncing the senseless act of violence which has claimed the life of a young woman, mother and youth activist, Ms. Joyce Antoine.

[00:00:30]And I extend condolences to her family, friends, colleagues and co-workers.

[00:00:36]The Ministry, through its various agencies, have reached out to the family of the deceased, providing the necessary support services to the adults and children directly affected.

[00:00:50]Given the Ministry's broad mandate, various units are engaged in dialogue with all the stakeholders in the social, health, policing and justice sectors as the details of the incident and associated interventions are coming to hand.

[00:01:10]The Government of Saint Lucia reiterates its promise to respect, protect and fulfill every citizen's right to live lives free from violence and calls on all citizens to play their part by reporting, either by calling 999 or 555 for crime reporting.

[00:01:33]For intimate partner violence, please remember to call 202 for guidance, support and shelter.

[00:01:43]I would like to caution the public that traumatic situations such as these may trigger fears, insecurity and anxiety.

[00:01:53]And I am calling on the general public to consider those most vulnerable at this time and refrain from heightening fear and distress that can thrust victims into isolation and despair.

[00:02:08]If you need emotional support, please call 203 or reach out to the Division of Human Services or your nearest mental health clinic for support.

[00:02:22]Finally, it is important for perpetrators of violence to understand that we as a nation will no longer tolerate this as a characteristic of our society.

[00:02:38]I assure you that state institutions are working together through its various inter-ministerial coordination mechanisms in crime prevention, GBV response coordination, and justice to crack down on violence in all its forms.

[00:02:58]I therefore urge all citizens to work with authorities to ensure that perpetrators of violence are not shielded, but brought to justice and granted the mercy of the necessary support services after justice has been served to prevent a relapse.

[00:03:20]The Ministry will tighten its work on prevention with all agencies, but remind you that this is an all-of-society effort.

[00:03:32]We collectively must denounce not just extreme acts of violence, but the harmful norms that underpin them.

[00:03:43]May God guide us in this endeavor.