The Pain We Carry Being a woman in Jamaica often means surviving violence in many forms: physical, emotional, mental, and sexual. It means hiding bruises, swallowing pain, and enduring in silence. It means walking around with wounds that never fully heal—wounds that no one sees, because we're taught to pretend we are strong. I know this pain intimately. I too have been sexually and physically abused. And while I may smile on the outside, inside I carry the weight of everything I’ve endured. Every day, women are murdered—many by people they once trusted. They are not just statistics; they are mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends. They are real. They are loved. And they are gone. According to The Gleaner , 619 women were murdered in Jamaica between 2019 and 2023—an average of 124 women per year. "Females Nuh Safe In Jamaica Again" , Jamaica Gleaner, Nov. 2024. Our Children Are Disappearing Our children are going missing at an alarming rate. The numbers are stag...