A package of three Family Law Bills is now available on the Government of Anguilla’s website www.gov.ai. They are the Status of Children and Parentage Testing Bill 2018, the Maintenance of Children Bill 2018 and the Child Protection Bill 2018.
Following a series of stakeholder meetings and public consultations in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 in addition to feedback received from stakeholders and the public the bills have undergone some revisions. In particular Section 20 of the Child Protection Bill 2018 that gave children over age 13 the option to access specific confidential health care services, which was a concern for many, has been removed.
The purpose of the Family Law Bills is to protect and promote the well-being of all children and families. They also seek to give effect to Anguilla’s obligations concerning the well-being, development and protection of children as outlined in United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The bills are based on the following needs:
• To provide for the equal status of all children and to determine the parentage of a person and to provide for connected and incidental matters
• To provide for the maintenance of children and to regularise the rights of parents in relation to their children and to provide the framework for the Court and the role of the Commissioner of Social Development in relation to the maintenance of children and to provide for connected and incidental matters
• To take legislative action to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and to protect them from harm
The development of these three pieces of legislation is part of a wider legal reform process which will, amongst other benefits, establish a Family Court. In addition to these three bills that are currently ready for their first reading in the House of Assembly and the Domestic Violence Act 2015, the Ministry of Health and Social Development in collaboration with the Attorney General’s Chambers, continue to consult with stakeholders and the public in general to finalize more Family Law Bills which seek to:
(i) increase the capacity of the judicial and legal system by providing laws that address issues surrounding women, children and the family thereby enhancing the administration of law and the quality of justice, and
(ii) strengthen institutional capacity by creating a climate that would facilitate greater access to justice by resolving matters related to the family and children in a more holistic manner
The Ministry of Health and Social Development wishes to thank the general public for their continued involvement and support as we seek to customize and enact legislation that protects our children and families.
Ministry of Social Development
10th September 2018
– Press Release
