Statement on the Brutal Murder of Rajwantie Baldeo

(December 6, 2016 -- Queens, NY) Yesterday, December 5, 2016, Prem Rampersaud stabbed his wife, Rajwantie Baldeo, to death on a Richmond Hill, Queens street corner. He nearly decapitated her in front of witnesses who told cops they could hear the blade scraping bone. Police have arrested him and charged him with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

We at Jahajee Sisters are enraged and disgusted by this barbaric act of violence against Rajwantie Baldeo. We are deeply saddened as we condemn yet another murder of an Indo-Caribbean woman in New York. We grieve for our fallen sister, and hold her family in our thoughts and prayers.

Jahajee Sisters started in 2007, and our commitment to ending violence against women in our community was catalyzed in response to the killing of two young Indo-Caribbean women. One of the victims was slashed to death by her alleged rapist, and there was no outcry from our leaders. The other was shot to death by her fiancee just months later, still with a stunning silence among community groups. Shocked and disappointed, we became the leaders we needed.  

Women are not property. We do not exist to be controlled by men and serve their needs and desires. Outdated ideas and cultural norms that keep women subjugated and silent have no place in our society, and it is up to every one of us to do away with them. To this day, Jahajee Sisters continues to develop leaders to address pressing issues faced by Indo-Caribbean women and girls.

We must send the message loudly, clearly and on a regular basis that our community values the life, well-being and freedom of every girl and every woman -- that there is no place for hatred of women in our homes, our houses of worship, or our institutions.

What happened yesterday shows that we have a long way to go before all people in our community, regardless of their gender, are valued and respected. We must all be a part of this fight for justice.

We call on Indo-Caribbean organizations, faith-based institutions and all members of our community to join us in taking action immediately to publicly condemn the murder of Rajwantie Baldeo.

We will be sending out more information soon, and encourage folks to be in touch if you want to be part of community led efforts to raise awareness and take action. We invite leaders of community groups and faith-based institutions (mandirs, masjids and churches) to work with us to create spaces for community members to process and heal from this tragedy while building the resolve to stand up for the safety, dignity and rights of women and girls.

WE ALL MUST SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE SEXISM AND PATRIARCHY AT THE ROOT OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE THAT IS KILLING INDO-CARIBBEAN WOMEN AND BREAKING OUR FAMILIES.