A Domestic Violence Unit has been established by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security to oversee the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the National Policy on Domestic Violence.
The ministry said in a press release yesterday that its policy, which was launched in early June under the theme ‘Break the Cycle, Take Control’, calls for the strengthening and the enforcement of the legal sanctions against perpetrators of domestic violence, and providing services to survivors such as counseling and educating the public about domestic violence.
It is also hoped that in time training institutions can adopt a curriculum which includes recognizing the signs of domestic violence and promoting non-violent behaviour. It is expected that the ministry would work closely with the Ministries of Health and Education as the government intensifies its efforts to eradicate domestic violence in Guyana.
The five-year policy, which was launched by Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand on June 11, is a government initiative that will inform and guide future interventions and programmes in the area of domestic violence at a governmental level.
According to Manickchand, it will not just be a policy on paper since government is fully committed to the transformation process, and she intends to push the policy while drawing on the support of other ministries, faith-based groups, non-governmental organisations, community groups and every citizen.
The new unit is headed by Geetanjali Geer and there is one other staff member but according to Geer they are hoping to employ a few other persons soon. She said her unit would be giving regular updates to the ministry on how the policy is being implemented. She noted that they are not an independent unit but rather will be working in collaboration and in support of other departments at the ministry.
