Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Jennifer Webster, says her ministry, in keeping with the mandate President Donald Ramotar has given to all ministers, will be working more closely with civil society and the setting up of the family court is high on the agenda.
The National Commission on the Family and the foster care programme are also among the areas she has placed on the front burner.
She noted that her previous position in the Ministry of Finance has geared her for the current post, since she fully understands the issues that need to be addressed.
“At the Ministry of Finance, I was responsible for project implementation [of] a number of projects throughout all the sectors and I think I have been able to have a greater knowledge of the issues that are cutting across the sectors – the social sector, security, infrastructure etc,” Webster said during a recent interview with Stabroek News.
The minister pointed out too that she was very instrumental in policy making and helping find solutions to various issues that affected project implementation, adding that she also has a very strong financial background.
Minister Webster said she has since familiarized herself with the key and core objectives of her new ministry and has examined the promises made by the government and the ways through which she can deliver on those promises. She added that a number of projects which had been started need to be completed, since they were of “primary importance to the ministry and the ministry’s work”.
Webster said she has noted an increase in the number of sexual offences being committed on young children and cited the recent rape of a 5-year-old child in Berbice.
“I would like to publicly condemn that act on that child. I think that it is horrific, a terrible experience for a child of that age to live through for the rest of her life and I would like the perpetrator or the perpetrators to be brought to justice,” she said. The case is still unsolved.
She pointed out that some amendments to the Sexual Offences Act will have to be made at some time, adding that she will soon be meeting with the Attorney General for discussions on this issue.
In terms of other legislation, the minister said she will embark on some more consultation on divorce reform.
Also, the Chancellor of the Judiciary, she said, has indicated that the rules of the Family Court have now been finalized and very shortly, those rules will be laid in the National Assembly.
“We are working towards having one judge in place so the court can become functional because there are a number of issues which warrant the attention of the Family Court. I think we are on track for now,” Webster said.
The minister said more work also needs to be done in the area of domestic violence, highlighting that many Guyanese women are dying as a result of this issue. “It’s not that I am focusing more on women, but I will be balanced by saying we have to do a lot of work,” she said.
Webster stated that part of the problem stems from social issues and what is happening in the home and the family. In that regard, she said that the family is important and the time has come for more emphasis to be placed in this area. “There is the National Commission on the Family and I’ll be working to have the board reconstituted as soon as possible because I would like that commission to play a greater role in society throughout the length and breadth of the country,” she stated.
As it relates to children, Webster said the foster care programme will continue as the ministry aggressively pursues identifying persons who will be willing to care for children. “We feel it is important for some of our children to be integrated into homes with families who will love and care for them and bring them up in a certain way and at the same time ensure that they are educated [so that] when they are adults, [they] can contribute meaningfully to our society and our country’s development,” Webster said.
Also, Minister Webster said she intends continuing work on the single parent assistance programme, which is one that works toward the alleviation of poverty. She added that the Women Of Worth programme is one in partnership with the government of Guyana and the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry and that it sees a number of women benefiting from loans with no collateral to start up small businesses.
Webster said she is currently looking at ways to expand current programmes for women and early school leavers in some non-traditional areas such as electrical installation, welding, plumbing and masonry. “With the OLPF project, I think it is important to train persons, especially our women, in the areas of maintenance and repair to computer hardware because it is going to be a required skill,” she said.
“I also plan to look at training in project management because we are a growing country, our country’s developmental needs are becoming much greater and I think we will need to train people, women, leaders in that area,” she added.
