– calls on society to protect the vulnerable
President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday signed the Sexual Offences Bill into law saying its reforms are gender-neutral and add to the state’s arsenal to fight predators in the country. He also declared that the legislation was designed to target predators and is not an “anti-male” law.
The legislation protects vulnerable women and children, the President said, noting that as a society people need to be less tolerant of predators, “paedophiles that prey on babies”. Some men appear fearful of the legislation, according to the President, but he emphasized there is no need “if they are law abiding,” and he charged that men have an obligation to ensure women and children are protected in this country.
His assent to the legislation comes a month after it was unanimously passed in the National Assembly; the public occasion drew a sizeable audience at the Police Officer’s Mess, Eve Leary. Jagdeo used the forum to call for broad-based support to implement the laws and underscored training for police officers who he said “have to do a better job”. But he also focused on the judiciary saying the magistracy needs to be consistent with issues such as bail.
Human Services Minister, Priya Manickchand echoed the President’s statements on implementation and she called on the relevant agencies and service providers to work in unison in enforcing the laws. “This is the challenge,” Manickchand said of the next phase. She recalled the path to the passage of the legislation saying the bill benefited significantly from stakeholders across the country at every level and she pointed out that its advancement also demands the same level of cooperation.
Manickchand said too that men need not worry about the new provisions set out in the law because “it also covers you”. She said the law was not necessarily “pro-women”, but frankly stated the vulnerable groups are women and children. She noted that a string of legislation focused on children went to the National Assembly last year, adding there are at least two more bills to come.
She also mentioned the Juvenile Offenders Amendment Act, which speaks to children who find themselves in conflict with the law, saying the legislation was piloted through the house to protect young offenders and keep them away from adult offenders. She added that a facility which was constructed specifically for this purpose at Sophia would be commissioned shortly by the Home Affairs Minister.
Jagdeo, in stressing the need for the legislation, said people in the society have been tolerant of predators long enough. He said people can do justice to the new laws by supporting those who have been subjected to sexual and violent abuse without any avenues to seek recourse, and he stressed that men also have a role to play.
The Head-of-State mentioned the critical role many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) played in shaping the laws, but he also contended that the sustained protest outside his office pressing for a swift passage of the bill was misdirected. He called on the group, the Coalition to Stamp out Sexual Violence Against Children, to display the same energy when “going after predators in this country”. He said that the rights organisations must now turn their eyes to people who commit the crimes.
Jagdeo also spoke to the media saying it is “utterly disgusting” when the press tries victims. “We don’t have to exempt anyone because they are pro-government or anti-government media…” he said. He said people are not likely to come forward and seek help if they fear being tried many times before they get justice. He said also that too many women are abused and silenced in their homes, the President said. “I am very happy we are passing this into law. We have a long road ahead of us, but as this campaign rolls across this country let us support each other across politics and every other perceived difference we may have to tackle the predators in our midst.”
Media consultant, Alex Graham, announced yesterday that his company is currently designing a public education campaign to support the bill’s effective implementation.
He said the campaign will target citizens across the country, raising critical awareness as well as focus on interventions to protect the vulnerable persons in the society.
Graham called it a broad-based action plan which will target communities with the aim of making them safe for women and children. He said people will have access to the necessary resources and information. He said the campaign has two phases; a ‘Stamp it out’ component and another referred to as, ‘No More Tears’. He also mentioned the introduction of “white zones” where vulnerable persons can seek assistance.
The new legislation, a comprehensive overhaul of the law, criminalises a string of new offences expanding protection, particularly for young children. The reform is wide-ranging and definitively spells out the rights of victims of sexual abuse — raising much needed awareness. It mentions too the establishment of a National Task Force for Prevention of Sexual Violence to address implementation.
The bill was at a Select Committee since August 2009 and was passed last month with added amendments. Manickchand said then that she had no regrets with regard to the pace of the process because she felt the law was stronger as a result of it.
