After years of preparation, the Family Court of Guyana may finally be operational in as little as a month.
This is according to acting Chancellor of the Judiciary Carl Singh who spoke with reporters yesterday at the opening of a training seminar for legal practitioners on the Family Court Rules (Proceedings and Procedure) held at the Georgetown Club.
“I don’t think we are going to go past a month. It’s been a long wait. The reasons are many and varied why we had this problem but those are behind us,” Justice Singh said.
He explained that before the court begins functioning there will be a similar seminar for judges and the Revised Rules of the Court will be transmitted to Attorney General Basil Williams, who will then take steps to lay them before the National Assembly. After the rules are laid, a Practice Direction would be signed to bring the Court into being.
The Family Court, which will be a division of the High Court, will deal family issues such as cases of adoption, neglect, child maintenance, custody and domestic violence.
According to Justice Singh, the court, which will have a dedicated Registry, is currently adequately staffed with judges and support staff and is sufficiently furnished.
In February, 2014, Williams who was then shadow legal affairs minister, had challenged the government on the prolonged delay in the realisation of the Family Court. Williams noted that this delay had continually been blamed on the difficulty in sourcing furniture. “I don’t know is what kind of furniture they are looking for, because millions of dollars every year we hear is coming in the budget for the furniture,” Williams had said.
Justice Singh addressed this issue, joking that when he writes his memoirs on his stewardship of the judicial system of Guyana, he may have a “chapter devoted to furniture and the procurement of furniture for the Family Court.”
Yesterday’s seminar was dedicated to educating participants about the key differences between the old and new systems. On its completion, those present will be expected to understand their role in the timely disposition of cases and gain clarity on specific functions in the management of cases.
Resident Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Marianne Flach welcomed the imminent operationalisation of the court. In her opening remarks, she noted, “Much work has been done to achieve reform in legislation related to children and it is important that these are well-supported by reforms in other areas of Family Law in order to adequately protect children especially those too young to have a voice and ensure that their rights are upheld.”
In his remarks, the Chancellor appealed to lawyers to join the country-wide clean-up campaign by clearing the judicial backlog created by the culture of adjournments. “Efficiency and timeliness should become known as the established standards of this soon to be created Family Court [and] if we are able to achieve that change in culture [of adjournment] then I dare say that will be a significant and worthy achievement as well,” he said.
Justice Singh expressed his disappointment with the small number of lawyers who expressed interest in the seminar and contended that it would eventually be to their detriment when they appear in the Family Court without any knowledge of the new rules.
