Spotlight being placed on family violence, sexual offences

The Human Services and Social Security Ministry is advancing work on two pieces of legislation, which cater to family violence and sexual offences, said subject minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud.

Speaking at the Exit Workshop for the Support for the Criminal Justice System (SCJS) programme, hosted at the Pegasus Hotel last Friday, Minister Persaud outlined a number of initiatives her ministry has been involved in, aimed at strengthening and improving the criminal justice system in Guyana.

“Two pieces of legislation I would like to mention… the first is the Family Violence Act, which I took to Parliament last year. We’re currently implementing that piece of legislation, which has involved a number of programmes to train those responsible for enforcement and also to create public awareness, so that the population understands that this is an Act that offers a level of protection that was not there before… It is very much a groundbreaking piece of legislation because, for the first time, it combines both civil and criminal remedies to address violence,” she said.

The minister explained that this legislation is particularly necessary in Guyana, given the upsurge in cases of violence, especially femicide.

She noted that while there was a 33 per cent reduction in cases of domestic violence last year, there has been an upsurge at the start of this year.

“Now, people would also look at us and say, ‘With all of the systems that you are putting in place, including reporting systems, you’re seeing more reports.’ It does not necessarily mean there are that many more cases, but it could mean that there was under-reporting before, because these systems were not in place,” Minister Persaud noted.

Additionally, she stated that the Sexual Offences Act of 2010 is currently under review, with the hope of advancing it this year.

“Directly coming out of the Family Violence Act, we’re moving to the Sexual Offences Act of 2010, which is currently being reviewed with the hope that it will go before Parliament this year. There are key elements in this piece of legislation, one of which speaks to the Sex Offenders Registry. I believe this demonstrates our government’s commitment, as a team, to ensuring we address the crucial legislative changes necessary, so that justice can always be served against those who act in contravention of the laws of Guyana,” the minister said.

Further, she stated that she has been working alongside Cabinet to craft legislation that will have a tangible impact on the population, particularly on vulnerable groups.