Where can I turn? What support is available? What will happen if I ask for help?

For someone experiencing domestic violence, these questions deserve clear, accessible answers, and a response that respects their choices.

The Domestic Violence Prevention Toolkit for Trinidad and Tobago is a national platform designed around that specific need. It brings together information to help people understand what they may be experiencing, explore available support, and consider their next steps at their own pace. It is designed to empower the actual or potential survivor/victim to take preventative action to save their life or the life of a loved one. It is designed to be a living, breathing tool that directly confronts the problem of domestic violence in all its forms.

The initiative is led by the Office of the Attorney General, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through funding from the European Union-under the PACE Justice Project.

The toolkit’s official launch took place on 23 September 2026 at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port of Spain, and placed this practical approach within a wider conversation about prevention. The programme brought together perspectives from justice, policing, mental health, child protection and civil society, with a focus on survivor-centred support. Alongside a toolkit demonstration, sessions were designed to examine early warning signs, coercive control, and the psychological and legal impacts of domestic violence. 

The need for accessible and practical support is clear. Between 2010 and 2024, Trinidad and Tobago recorded 33,489 reports of domestic violence and 443 domestic-violence-related murders and suicides. Assault by beating accounted for 17,189 reports (51.3% of the total), while other reports involved sexual abuse, threats, breaches of protection orders, child abuse, and financial, emotional, and psychological abuse. 

Women and girls are disproportionately affected, underscoring the need for support that recognizes different experiences and circumstances. Therefore, information needs to be understandable, at the fingertips of the vulnerable, and therefore useful to someone who may be uncertain about their situation or concerned about what seeking help could mean.

The Toolkit allows users to explore guidance on warning signs, safety planning, legal options and support services without creating an account or being required to disclose their experience. It also provides information for people supporting someone else. Its approach leaves room for different needs and circumstances, keeping decisions with the person seeking assistance. 

The launch programme also made space for a survivor perspective alongside professional expertise. That inclusion matters because services intended to support people experiencing violence should be guided by survivor experiences in order to understand the barriers they face and to respect their priorities. 

The work ahead is to channel nationwide access to information into the crevices of every household and into tangible support people can use. The vision is for this toolkit to become a household name, as familiar as WhatsApp, as accessible as a message, and a trusted resource that people instinctively turn to for support. 

A toolkit’s value will depend on how it reaches communities, how practitioners use it, and whether people seeking assistance encounter services that respond with care. These service providers recognise that effective support begins with their own readiness. They should strive to continually assess and strengthen their capacity to respond sensitively whenever someone reaches out for help.

For partners, the launch offers an opportunity to carry that responsibility into everyday practice: making information easier to find, strengthening connections between services and listening carefully when someone asks for help. UNDP’s Resident Representative Ugo Blanco stated, “For someone experiencing domestic violence, seeking help can feel overwhelming. This toolkit is designed to make clear, practical information easier to find while respecting each survivor’s choices, circumstances, and readiness to act. Through this partnership, we hope more victims and survivors can see the options available to them and know that they do not have to face domestic violence alone. UNDP remains committed to strengthening the pathways to safety, support and justice that survivors need.”

For a person experiencing domestic violence, the next step may begin with understanding their options and feeling so comfortable in the services and institutions that they feel empowered to save themselves or a loved one. The success of this toolkit should not be measured solely by the number of reports made against perpetrators or protection orders sought, but also by its contribution to earlier intervention, safer choices, improved access to support and, ultimately, the prevention of serious harm and loss of life. 

Survivors deserve to take safe steps with dignity, support, and a voice in the decisions that affect their lives.

If you or anyone you know needs support, please explore the Safe Steps Toolkit.