Human Rights Committee mourns Estella

Published 15th October 2008, 10:13am

The HRC is deeply saddened by the loss of its member, Mrs. Estella Scott-Roberts and wishes to extend deepest condolences to her family and loved ones on the tragic loss of such a bright and talented Caymanian woman and human rights activist.

Among her various community activities, Estella was a member of the HRC, as well as a colleague and friend. Estella was a very civic-minded person, who selflessly volunteered countless hours to community work, including the HRC.

In her professional capacity, she began her career as the Officer for Women’s Affairs in the then Ministry of Community Development, Women’s Affairs, Youth and Sports. In her role at the Ministry, she was the Coordinator of the Domestic Violence Intervention Training Programme (DVITP), the National Committee Against Domestic Abuse (NCADA) and the National Policy on Gender Equity and Equality and she worked closely with the Women’s Resource Centre. She later became the first Executive Director of the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre (CICC), a safe shelter for abused women and their children. Estella worked tirelessly to make our community a better place for women, men, young persons, and our wider community as a whole. She was a much-needed role model for young girls and to her beloved Caymanian people.

Estella’s colleagues at the HRC will be paying tribute to her at the upcoming Silent Witness March at 12:30pm on Saturday, 18 October 2008 and the HRC strongly encourages the entire Cayman community to also support the March. In particular, the HRC hopes for a strong show of support from the men and boys in our community, to take a public stand opposing violence against women and girls - in recognition and support of Estella’s life’s work against domestic abuse.

The Human Rights Committee is honoured to count Mrs. Estella Scott-Roberts as one if its members and remains forever thankful for her service and work to make the Cayman Islands a better place for all of us. The Human Rights Committee remains committed to continuing Estella’s hard work to ensure and protect the rights of women and children, two of the most vulnerable groups in our society. Thank

you, Estella - for your passion and dedication in protecting the rights of our women and children. Cayman has truly lost one of its brightest young leaders, and she will be sorely missed by us all.

For further information contact: Human Rights Committee