Latest update April 11th, 2025 9:20 AM
Sexual offences legislation for House by month-end
…as child protection law is deferred to Select Committee
Human Services and Social Security Minister Priya Manickchand says that the long overdue and awaited Sexual Offences Bill will be tabled by month’s end.
According to the Minister, the legislation will be put before the Cabinet when it meets on Tuesday, and she is optimistic that there will be no objection to its long overdue tabling the following Thursday.
Meanwhile, at last Thursday’s sitting of the National Assembly, Minister Manickchand requested that the child protection legislation be deferred to a special select committee, given that some members of the House had requested some more time to peruse the lengthy piece of legislation.
Shadow Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Volda Lawrence, told this newspaper that, in principle, her party will support the Childcare and Protection Agency Bill of 2008, which was recently tabled by Minister Priya Manickchand.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand
According to Lawrence, Guyana is way behind its Caribbean counterparts as it relates to legislation such as the proposed one.
She emphasized, however, that the Bill in its present form was very confusing, hence the party’s request that it be sent to a select committee “for some tidying up.”
In tabling the Bill, Manickchand said that it was a long awaited Bill which seeks to ensure that children are protected by law.
The legislation, which was one of Manickchand’s mandates for 2008, provides for the establishment of the Childcare and Protection Agency, and sets out the functions of the agency, which include monitoring childcare facilities.
It also allows the agency to intervene in cases where there is child abuse, and to protect vulnerable children.
The legislation also provides for the Minister to appoint the Director and other officers and employees, who shall be responsible for the management of the agency in accordance with directions issued by the Minister under the Act.
It also states that the welfare of the child is paramount, and matters relating to a child, whether before a court or any other authority, shall be determined without undue delay, taking into consideration certain criteria set out, including the wishes of the child and his age and capacity to understand the matter to be determined.
Disclosure of information relating to the identity of a child, once the Bill is passed in the National Assembly, will be prohibited in proceedings.
Alliance For Change leader Raphael Trotman recently told this newspaper that his party will support any forward-looking legislation, such as Bills that seek to eliminate or punish social injustices, and as such will support Manickchand’s Childcare Bill.
He did remark that the Government appeared to be very imbalanced, in that Manickchand recently tabled several pieces of forward-looking legislation but, on the other hand, other sections of the Government seemed to be condoning social ills, such as torture.
The latest Bill to be tabled aims at protecting children, and is expected to be followed by other pieces of legislation also aimed at the protection of children.
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