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‘More men are coming to FSN for help’ - Dr Sylvia M. Simmonds

-said it costs the agency $100 a day to house each man who is abused by his spouse
Despite financial challenges, Director of Family Support Network (FSN) Dr Sylvia M. Simmonds believes that the work of the entity must continue especially when it comes to keeping families together as she stressed that healthy families mean healthy societies. Photo: VINO/File
More men are reporting domestic abuse. Photo: theguardian.com
More men are reporting domestic abuse. Photo: theguardian.com
The office of Family Support Network in Road Town. Photo: VINO
The office of Family Support Network in Road Town. Photo: VINO
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – Despite financial challenges, Director of Family Support Network (FSN) Dr Sylvia M. Simmonds believes that the work of the entity must continue especially when it comes to keeping families together as she stressed that healthy families mean healthy societies.

Speaking to this news site late last week, Dr Simmonds said that despite the fact FSN is almost totally dependent on the benevolence of the general public and corporations, it sees its work of providing counselling to families as all to vital as there are signs of the moral decay in the fabric of society.

She said though stretched to the limit, she still counsels men who come in and who are determined to make a better way for their families, recognising that they need help to quit abusing their spouses. She noted that more men were turning up to FSN’s doorway – both abusers and victims of abuse.

“We try to help relationships and for that that reason we don’t turn away persons who come to our office. Some men do come in who want help and who want to find a better way of dealing with issues in their relationship, to find out how they could fix where they have gone wrong, so we don’t ever turn our backs on anyone – male, female and children,” she said.

“It puts a strain on us yes but we want the community to know that we are here for the family. She noted that unhealthy societies general mean that families are unhealthy. That is not what we want. We want the reverse. When we have healthy societies it means that our families are healthy,” Dr Simmonds said.

“Very often when we look back as to why the child is angry, very often it is a reflection of the family that the child grew up with over time,” she said.

Need for more finances

Dr Simmonds said that every year when they submit their annual report they make an appeal for more funds.

“Our budget is growing not because of more salaries but because demand for our services has grown, such as demand for housing. Right now we have two females in housing and it costs us $800 a month for housing. But we have no other place to put them,” she said.

Dr Simmonds said similarly there is an “older gentleman” who was “battered by his wife” and they had to find a safe house for him. But she said that at $100 per day, it was not possible to house this man for more than seven days.

She noted that the entity has fed about 350 families from January to present, explaining that this was the number of families fed for all of last year 2014.

12 Responses to “‘More men are coming to FSN for help’ - Dr Sylvia M. Simmonds ”

  • ann (13/07/2015, 22:36) Like (1) Dislike (17) Reply
    Dem cry cry baby man
    • You for real (14/07/2015, 09:00) Like (16) Dislike (0) Reply
      A man who refuses to hit a woman and suffer abuse instead you call the cry baby men. they are called real men.
  • XOXO (14/07/2015, 03:51) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    It is good that men are reaching out for help for domestic abuse. Too many people think that this is a joke
    but it is real and too many women are getting away with abusing their spouses because men are more hesitant than women to report that they are being abused by their partners. One reason being that they are afraid that people will laugh at them. No one should subject themselves to physical or mental abuse.
    • @XOXO (14/07/2015, 08:49) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
      There are ALWAYS 2 sides to a story.

      There are some men and women that are natural BORN and BRED liars and fakes and they know who they are. Time always longer than twine. You could only fake for so long and the apple does not fall too far from the tree.
      • XOXO (14/07/2015, 14:00) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
        It seems like you are one of those abusive women. Well if you find your man to be a fake and liar leave, two wrongs do not make a right. If you stay and abuse him then you are no better than him, it proves that you are an abuser
  • eyes (14/07/2015, 04:26) Like (2) Dislike (13) Reply
    Why are so much of our young men going to jail. Where is the FSN intervention?
  • Spoken (14/07/2015, 04:41) Like (2) Dislike (6) Reply
    FSN and All these Boards TRC, Hospital, etc, main function is to work on-behalf of the people, but they are doing the opposite, Only when certain names pop-up, with problems, they become useful
  • woah (14/07/2015, 10:26) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    This is not good. More should be done for this office. Its about time that some sort of housing facility is built so when situations like these arise so much money is not spent on hotels. Their office also needs a make over! Or better yet, relocation.
  • TJ (14/07/2015, 15:41) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply

    More men is using Family Support Network to cover up what they are doing and making it look like the women are the problem. This f..ish woman who Heads the Network is buying into the men lies. The men are only using the Network when they realize that their backsides is in trouble and can be sent to jail or out of the country. I'm speaking because my husband is the devil and Dr. Simmonds have him like an angel but just wait the world will see the truth soon.

    • @TJ (14/07/2015, 20:12) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
      Stop abusing the man you and all you women out there who are guilty. I am a woman and I know some women are controlling and treats their men like they are little children. It is not always the man who is to blame.
      • @@TJ (15/07/2015, 10:39) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        You don't know $hit! Tell the man you with stop feeding you with lies. You think he will tell you the nasty truth about him. Who on this earth is an angel? You sound so desperate! But without fail, you 2 shall be repaid.
  • Real men (14/07/2015, 17:27) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    It have man and it have mango men deal wit their situation mangoes fall from the tree n rot helpless f ers them is


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