Guyana has comprehensive, holistic model to address Gender-Based Violence

Guyana has established a comprehensive and holistic model which consists of several programmes to address Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

The social issue affecting particularly youths and elders has caused the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security to implement measures to protect these persons, both males and females.

Just recently, the Family Violence Act of 2024 was passed in the National Assembly. It provides protection for every member of a family who is exposed to any type of violence including sexual, and verbal.

On Sunday, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, noted that the legislation which had deficiency has drastically changed from 1996 to present, catering for the protection of everyone within society.

The attorney general was at the time speaking at the GBV medical symposium which was organised by the ministry’s Sexual Offences Domestic Violence Policy Unit, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), Liliendaal.

“We have to confront this problem (GBV)…We corrected the issue of the previous law which was criminal. But this one is both criminal and civil. The court can give criminal orders and sentence you to jail or give you bail. And the police have all the power now that they didn’t have before,” the attorney general pointed out.

He explained that officers from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) can now intervene in the private matter of GBV by arresting or removing a member of the home who is creating the issue.

According to the Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, some of the other programmes that contributes to the GBV model includes the implementation of the Spotlight Initiative, Community Advocate Network (CAN) and the 914 hotline, among others.

“At the moment, Guyana’s model has been held as the best model which was emerged from the Spotlight Initiative. And we are now being seen as the leading country in the region with our Gender-Based Violence response,” the minister posited.

The Spotlight Initiative which was launched in 2020, aims to eradicate all forms of violence in society. Approximately $1 million was dedicated to this initiative through the European Union and the United Nations.

Additionally, the 914 hotline was formulated to bring swift responses to victims. Since 2020 to the present, over 4,000 calls have recorded and matters dealt with, bringing relief to families and other victims.

According to the minister, the ministry is currently working to develop a chat interface for this hotline, as well.

“We have managed to train over 1,000 persons from every region through the CAN initiative. This is to ensure that we have people in each community across the country to see matters, report them, and take actions,” the human service minister stated.

These initiatives have been actively working and aiding in the decrease of GBV in the country.