Gov’t working on harassment legislation

The government is currently formulating harassment legislation to protect individuals from behaviour that threatens their safety, dignity and rights.

According to Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Vindhya Persaud, consultations are ongoing with the Ministry of Legal Affairs and other stakeholders to develop comprehensive legislation aimed at safeguarding the rights of women.

Speaking at a Gender-based Violence event at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) last weekend, Persaud said the harassment legislation “is a spin-off from the Spotlight Initiative…We can never stop until we have all the parts of the puzzle in place to address this matter.” 

In August of this year, the Family Violence Act 2024 was passed in parliament. The act provides a framework aimed at enhancing protection for family members suffering from domestic abuse which includes emotional, physical and economic harm.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, SC, Anil Nandlall, also emphasised the importance of creating laws to address prevalent societal challenges.

Nandlall stated, “Laws are made for different reasons and a legislative agenda can be reactive and can be proactive. Laws govern or regulate human conduct or communities…although laws are inspired differently, they must be for the benefit of the people.”

The Attorney General added that just as the government has strengthened laws to tackle domestic violence and reduce road accidents, similar steps will be taken to address the increasing number of harassment complaints from citizens.