Minister: Thousands of cases in court...
By
Kamille Bachan
 |
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GREETING: Information and
Communications Management
Officer of the Ministry of Gender,
Youth and Child Development
Sonya Beharry, right, greets Minister
of State in the Ministry of
Gender, Youth and Child Development
Senator Raziah Ahmed
at the launch of the National Consultation
on Domestic Violence
Act of 1999, held at City Hall, Port
of Spain, yesterday.
—Photo: KITTY KOWLESSA
|
“Within the 2012 to 2013 period, a court in one magisterial district
in North Trinidad handled 17,748 domestic violence cases. Keep in mind,
ladies and gentlemen, this is only one court.”
This was stated yesterday by Minister of State in the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development Senator Raziah Ahmed at the launch of the National Consultation on the Domestic Violence Act, 1999. It took place at City Hall, Port of Spain.
The Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development launched the series of public meetings to review the Domestic Violence Act, 1999. The aim of these meetings is to review the Act and ensure its effective implementation. This relates to the Government’s policy of achieving gender equity by eliminating domestic abuse, Ahmed said.
Ahmed stated that due to the constantly evolving nature of Trinidad and Tobago society, there was a need for “legislation that is relevant and current to our times” in order to resolve “an issue that affects the very fabric of our society.”
She referred to recent incidents of domestic violence such as the viral video of a local mother abusing her son with a garden tool. Ahmed stated that, while every parent has the right to discipline their child, this was abuse, not discipline.
Elaborating on the statistics, Ahmed also said that for the period 2012 to 2013, the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago reported that 11,382 new cases of domestic violence were filed. This figure, she said, reflected a 2.1 per cent decrease from the 2011-2012 period.
For the period 2012 to 2013, the National Domestic Violence Hotline handled 997 new client calls of which 767 were female and 230 were male. For the period January to June 2014, there were 65 calls; 46 females and 19 males.
The National Family Services Division dealt with 104 domestic violence cases for the period October 2013 to May 2014 inclusive of referrals from other agencies, call-ins and walk-ins, Ahmed said
Ahmed said that by creating safer homes, we can create a safer nation and she called on citizens to recognise the importance of eradicating domestic violence. She expressed the need to review this Act in order to achieve a stronger legislation that would lead to a safer society.
“Remember that this national consultation is not just about strengthening legislation, but ultimately about changing a national culture to benefit the vulnerable within society.”
This was stated yesterday by Minister of State in the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development Senator Raziah Ahmed at the launch of the National Consultation on the Domestic Violence Act, 1999. It took place at City Hall, Port of Spain.
The Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development launched the series of public meetings to review the Domestic Violence Act, 1999. The aim of these meetings is to review the Act and ensure its effective implementation. This relates to the Government’s policy of achieving gender equity by eliminating domestic abuse, Ahmed said.
Ahmed stated that due to the constantly evolving nature of Trinidad and Tobago society, there was a need for “legislation that is relevant and current to our times” in order to resolve “an issue that affects the very fabric of our society.”
She referred to recent incidents of domestic violence such as the viral video of a local mother abusing her son with a garden tool. Ahmed stated that, while every parent has the right to discipline their child, this was abuse, not discipline.
Elaborating on the statistics, Ahmed also said that for the period 2012 to 2013, the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago reported that 11,382 new cases of domestic violence were filed. This figure, she said, reflected a 2.1 per cent decrease from the 2011-2012 period.
For the period 2012 to 2013, the National Domestic Violence Hotline handled 997 new client calls of which 767 were female and 230 were male. For the period January to June 2014, there were 65 calls; 46 females and 19 males.
The National Family Services Division dealt with 104 domestic violence cases for the period October 2013 to May 2014 inclusive of referrals from other agencies, call-ins and walk-ins, Ahmed said
Ahmed said that by creating safer homes, we can create a safer nation and she called on citizens to recognise the importance of eradicating domestic violence. She expressed the need to review this Act in order to achieve a stronger legislation that would lead to a safer society.
“Remember that this national consultation is not just about strengthening legislation, but ultimately about changing a national culture to benefit the vulnerable within society.”
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