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Gender Affairs Commission updated on Govt.’s efforts protect women, children
Kaieteur News – Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall SC on Tuesday, met with a delegation from the Women and Gender Affairs Commission to discuss the amendments to several legislation that deal with protecting the rights women and children including the Sexual Offences Act and the Family Violence Bill.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC
The delegation, led by Chairwoman of the Women and Gender Affairs Commission, Indra Chandarpal, raised a number of issues including the need for the Government to implement a Family Code, the need to address the gaps in the Domestic Violence Act, the Sexual Offences Act, whether the Evidence Act will be amended, whether a Sexual Harassment Bill will be implemented, whether the Government of Guyana will sign on to the optional protocol of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
Nandlall informed the delegation that work is progressing on the Family Violence Bill which will overhaul the Domestic Violence Act enacted in 1997. He noted that the Government continues to accord the highest priority to the rights and concerns of women and children.
The Government now has 30 years of practical experience drawing from that Act and has been able to observe deficiencies, omissions and weaknesses and is working now to correct them, Nandlall said. He explained that many procedural deficiencies are being corrected to make it easier for persons to lodge complaints under the law.
Significantly, he said the Domestic Violence Act is civil in nature and it permits only civil remedies. That will be changed. The Family Violence Bill will be both civil and criminal in its nature and persons can be imposed with criminal sanctions for violations committed under the intended law. Importantly, persons would be exposed to imprisonment under the new law.
Additionally, the Attorney General said the delegations that work is ongoing to review the Sexual Offences Act. He explained that a multi-ministerial effort comprising the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Human Services and Social Security and Ministry of Education is undertaking the initiative. The legal profession, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Guyana Police Force and other important stakeholders will also be engaged.
He also informed the delegation that the Government, through the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, is undertaking a project to create a ‘Help and Justice Centre’ which will see two physical structures being built on the West Coast of Demerara and the East Coast of Demerara to offer legal and medical services, counselling, police protection and accommodation to families and victims of domestic and sexual violence.
Meanwhile, Nandlall disclosed that the Law Reform Commission recently reviewed the Evidence Act and has proposed certain amendments. These amendments are currently under review by the Attorney General’s Chambers. The legal profession will also be duly consulted in the process.
The Attorney General told the meeting that there is a new Trafficking in Persons Bill 2023 which is before a Cabinet Sub-Committee and work is ongoing on a Sexual Harassment Bill. The latter is a Caribbean Community (CARICOM) model legislation produced under the Spotlight Initiative funded by the Canadian Government.
He also informed the Commission that the entire Laws of Guyana is currently being revised up to the 31st of December, 2022. This process will achieve the insertion into the principal legislation of all amendments made since 2012 as well as the consolidation of all the new laws enacted. The end result will be new and updated volumes of the Laws of Guyana as of December 31, 2022.
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