The US Embassy in Guyana recently nominated two students and a teacher from Marian Academy to take part in a two-day conference for regional youth to promote witness participation in the judicial system.
In a statement on Friday, the Embassy said it will continue to work with the school to spread awareness on this issue throughout secondary schools in Guyana.
Dozens of secondary schools students from ten Caribbean countries met in Barbados to participate in
the No Witness, No Justice/CBSI Youth Network Conference, which was hosted from December 3 to 5 by the United States Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.
Speaking to the students, United States Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Larry L Palmer urged them to stand firm in the face of pressure to do wrong. He is quoted as saying, “Young people like you can face a lot of pressure to do the wrong thing or to cover up for those who are committing crimes. This pressure comes from all around you – it comes from your peers and even older people who should know better.”
The Embassy added that Barbados Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite, whose office partnered with the Embassy and the National Task Force on Crime Prevention on the conference, reinforced Palmer’s message, noting that sometimes young people are reluctant to cooperate with the police. Brathwaite told participants: “If your justice system does not work, then your way of life as you know it, goes to naught. Ordinary men and women, boys and girls [have to be] willing to put their hands up and do the right thing if they are witnesses to a crime.”
At the conference, students participated in training which emphasised the importance of participation in the justice system and how to use social media to build support for broader participation. They were equipped with Embassy-donated iPads, which they used to take effective photos, make compelling videos and use social media to promote the cause of justice and witness participation.
In addition, in the ‘No Witness, No Justice’ module, US Embassy criminal justice advisor Daniel Suter, St. Vincent and the Grenadine’s Assistant Director of Public Prosecution Colin John, and Crown Counsel Giovanni James of St Lucia and Clement Joseph of Dominica gave students hand-on, practical advice about the justice system and the importance of witnesses. The students then donned their black robes as the legal luminaries took them through two mock trials so they could put what they had learned into practice.
The Embassy added that last Thursday, US Ambassa-dor to Guyana Brent Hardt met the Marian Academy students and teacher to hear about their experience at the conference and to discuss their plans to share their knowledge with other students in Guyana. A representative from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and a Community Police Officer joined the meeting to offer guidance on real life scenarios in Guyana’s justice system.
Hardt congratulated the Marian Academy representatives for their selection and on their active participation in the programme. He told them he looked forward to seeing their efforts take root in encouraging fellow citizens to come forward and testify.
The No Witness, No Justice programme forms part of a larger initiative – the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), which the Embassy said forms an essential part of the Hemispheric U.S. security strategy focused on citizen safety.
