**8. Conclusions**

Many women have experienced domestic violence throughout their lifetimes and continue to do so presently. New layers of challenges tend to exacerbate this violence, such as COVID-19 and climate change. These added layers tend to perpetuate inequality and inequity concerning women and their needs. If mechanisms are not put in place to alleviate this scourge in society now, women are going to continue to suffer the consequences. These consequences can lead to death, with increasing homicidal figures in the country. The challenges faced have been highlighted and provide a way forward for the provision of adequate and holistic support for women in such circumstances. Those in authority must take notice and act immediately.

The empirical evidence provided within the scholarly literature, and actual research highlights and interprets the voices of women who have experienced domestic violence. The findings cannot be generalized to the population of Trinidad and Tobago, as such, further scientific studies or a systematic literature review with meta-analysis are necessary to confirm this hypothesis.

This issue should be placed high up on the agenda of policies and programs to be initiated or supplemented by the state. Awareness programs, whether they be via social media, press or television, should be developed and distributed accordingly. Education is a key component to understanding the elements of domestic abuse. The impacts of climate change on women should also be a part of this campaign as it adds another layer to the plight of women and can be a factor in domestic abuse. The links should be delineated to inform the public. Hopefully, persons in the public will take notice and join the advocacy for additional resources and services for women who experience domestic violence in our society.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, R.A.D.; methodology, R.A.D.; formal analysis, R.A.D.; investigation, R.A.D.; resources, R.A.D.; writing—original draft preparation, R.A.D. and D.D.J.; writing—review and editing, R.A.D. and D.D.J. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Acknowledgments:** The authors wish to thank the Crime and Problem Analysis (CAPA) unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), for providing access to the Domestic Violence data used in this study.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
