Dear Editor,
The dismissal of female employees of the City Constabulary on the basis of pregnancy is a violation of Prevention of Discrimination Act, the constitution, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and many other international human rights instruments signed and ratified by the Government of Guyana.
Successive governments have failed to remove such antiquated, discriminatory and illegal practices from the conditions of service that many women seeking employment in the disciplined services sector have been subjected to for years.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights and non-discrimination based on sex and gender must guide and be enshrined in all Guyana’s labour laws and regulations, and be applicable to all disciplined services, including the City Constabulary, Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force, and all private security services.
We welcome the statement by the Minister in the Ministry of Social Protection and Labour, Ms Simona Broomes, and her direction to the Chief Labour Officer and the ministry’s legal officer to examine the ‘offending’ policy and advise how best to remove it and any others that may not be compliant with Guyana’s laws.
We look forward to expeditious action to rectify this act of discrimination and human rights violation and welcome the pending re-instatement of the dismissed city constabulary officers. We also call on the Ministry of Social Protection to ensure appropriate working conditions and safety measures for women working in the security sector, including access to day-and-night care services for women with dependent children as they go about their job of protecting Guyana’s citizens on a daily basis.
We strongly recommend that continious education programmes on gender equality, gender discrimination, gender-based and sexual violence, sexual and reproductive rights, human rights and other relevant laws be introduced immediately. As a grouping, we have over the years collectively developed a wealth of knowledge and experience in areas of social protection, legal rights and access to justice, sexual & reproductive health and rights, women and poverty and stand ready to work with the Ministry of Social Protection and other partners in the design, training and delivery of such programmes.
Yours faithfully,
Joy Marcus & Wintress White for Red Thread
Simone Morris Ramlall for Guyana Association of Women Lawyers
Omattie Madray for ChildLink Inc
Josephine Whitehead & Danuta Radzik for Help & Shelter
Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth & Renuka Anadjit for Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association
Sadie Amin
