GHRA calls for more to be done to eliminate violence against women

As International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women was observed yesterday, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) called for more to be done regarding the elimination of violence against women in Guyana, saying that despite the tendency to cite legal improvements intended to secure women’s rights, the gulf is widening between politics and the lived reality of women and girls.

A release from GHRA highlighted that sexual and physical exploitation and abuse of girl children and women remain the most pressing human rights violation in Guyana. It pointed out that a series of measures to protect women and girls remain unimplemented, among them, the establishment of procedures and guidelines to ensure mandatory reporting of all child sexual abuse and exploitation cases. It said that the gap between laws on the books and implementation is growing.

GHRA stated that women’s access to rights contained in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), other international standards and