The Anguilla version of an OECS Model Domestic Violence Bill has been one of the highlights of a two-part training workshop from Tuesday to Friday this week at La Vue Conference Centre at Back Street, South Hill. The event was coordinated by the Family Law Reform Committee in collaboration with the Ministries of Home Affairs and Social Development.
Attorney General James Wood, who chaired the opening ceremony, said the main objective of the workshop was to train police officers and counsellors about domestic violence and to expose them to the provisions of the Domestic Violence Bill. He explained that the training of the agencies was vital in order to assist the victims and the court with the enforcement of the Bill.
The Attorney General said Anguilla was one of the few remaining territories not yet providing any comprehensive protection through the justice system for victims of domestic violence. He pointed out that the draft Domestic Violence Bill (now being reviewed towards enactment) provided that mechanism. When enacted, the legislation would take Anguilla closer to having the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination extended to the island.
Mr. Wood observed that police records indicated that between 2010 and October 31, 2012, there were 735 reported incidents of domestic disputes. “This problem is one that devastates families and inflicts a high degree of physical harm, and perhaps a higher degree of psychological and emotional harm, on its victims,” he added.
Minister of Social Development, Edison Baird, noted that the current laws in Anguilla were not providing adequate protection for women and children from domestic violence. He said the new Domestic Violence Bill addressed those shortcomings in several ways.
“The Bill focuses on the protection of the victim because domestic violence does not pay any regard to social status, culture, ethnicity, religion, age, class, sex or family type,” he continued. “Domestic violence can be perpetrated on any person and that person, as a member of our human family, must have access to the court to redress violence perpetrated in a domestic setting.
“The purpose of the Domestic Violence Bill is to strengthen the capacity of the judicial and legal system to effectively adjudicate on the increasing number of legal matters pertaining to the scourge of domestic violence in our communities.”
Minister of Home Affairs, Walcott Richardson, who has responsibility for Gender Affairs, spoke in relation to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979. He pointed out that it was recommended that countries should take a broad approach to end gender-based violence. He identified the participants in this effort as being public officials, law enforcement, the judiciary, health-care providers and social workers who should recognise the seriousness of violence against women.
“This therefore underpins the importance of this training workshop,” he concluded. “I would urge all the participants to participate fully in the discussions and presentations to ensure the success of this exercise.”
The facilitator for the workshop was Mrs. Jacqueline Sealy-Burke, a lawyer by profession, who has worked with UNICEF, UN Women (sponsor of the workshop), the Commonwealth Secretariat, the World Bank and the NCH for Children.
Mrs. Sealy-Burke commented that domestic violence was often considered as being the number one public health issue compromising the lives of women. She said it had serious and long-term implications that would affect generations to come unless it was responded to effectively.
In addition to examining the Anguilla version of the OECS Domestic Violence Bill, the workshop covered the subject of domestic violence, including police procedures in handling reports of domestic violence; and the response of counsellors to victims, family members and perpetrators of domestic violence.
