As part of the Gender Affairs Unit’s ‘16 Days of Activism’, a panel discussion on Domestic Violence was held at the Wallblake Conference Centre on Wednesday 9th December, 2015.
The discussion was dubbed “A time to re-engage in the awareness-building and discussions on the Domestic Violence Act and the way forward”. The event was held in conjunction with the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus and the Gender Affairs Unit.
The eclectic panel of three comprised Dr. Wycherley Gumbs, suprintendant of the Methodist Ciruit; Youth Ambassador, Tirichmir Gumbs; and Attorney Eustella P. Fontaine of Fontaine and Associates. Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake, Permanent Secretary, Health and Social Development, gave an overview of the recently passed, long awaited Domestic Violence Bill. She highlighted the contents of the Bill and made comparisons with previous laws as they related to domestic violence. She also noted that while the Bill has now passed into law, there are areas for retraining – as some training would have been done years ago when the Bill was first introduced – as well as the need for continued sensitization of the general public on the new law itself and overall issues relating to domestic violence.
Ambassador Tirichmir Gumbs, in her presentation, noted that during the annual National Youth Conference, it was discovered that out of the multitude of issues facing young people, and Anguilla at large, the top issue identified by youths was Domestic Violence.
There was a call from Ms. Fontaine, as well as persons in the audience, for the establishment of a Family Court. Mrs. Ursil Webster Brooks in her contribution to the discussion noted that during the first phase of consultations on the Bill, years ago, a call for the establishment of a Family Court was made, but it was to no avail.
Although the event was not very well attended the presentations by the panelists were exceptional, and those in the audience were intrigued and asked loads of follow-up questions for a better understanding of the Domestic Violence Bill in particular.
