When Lendell (Len) Albert Layman moved to the Cayman Islands in 1991 he admits he wasn’t a very community minded individual, but his association with the Cayman Brac Rotary Club and later the Grand Cayman-based Rotary Central, soon altered that.
It was 1999 when he was asked to represent Rotary Central on the local steering committee for the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA). His focus was the Domestic Violence and Intervention Training Programme for law enforcement professionals. He never imagined then that his involvement would result in a decade-long advocacy drive against domestic and gender violence.
Soon after the training programme ended Len became a member of the National Committee Against Domestic Abuse (NCADA), which actively campaigned for a community-wide domestic violence training initiative. It was soon evident that Cayman lacked a safe shelter for abuse victims and in 2003, the committee’s efforts saw the founding of the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre.
But neither his involvement nor his endeavours ended there. In 2008, the tragic loss of committee member, the late Estella Scott-Roberts, prompted a visit with Cabinet to make recommendations for policy that would target domestic violence. As one of the few male voices locally advocating for abuse victims, he was soon appointed chairperson of a special advisory committee on gender violence. Just two years later, in September 2010, the Protection from Domestic Violence Bill passed into law without opposition.
Asked why he did it all, he responds simply, “The reward is the impact this work has had on the lives of victims.” However, he also carefully adds, “It’s sad, but if men were not involved in the struggle against domestic violence, then other men would probably not listen.”
Today, he continues to advocate for victims, noting that though Cayman has made great strides in the struggle against domestic violence, compared to more developed countries, there remains a tremendous legislative and awareness gap.
Len likewise continues to serve the community through his involvement with Rotary, and has over the last eight years organised Rotary Central’s long-standing Take a Kid Fishing Programme. Much of his remaining time is spent on his back porch, sculpting bowls, flutes, pens and other items from wood, or entertaining his two cherished granddaughters, Katie and Abbie.
