The Supreme Court of Judicature yesterday launched a $17 million Sexual Offences Court at Suddie, on the Essequibo Coast.
The cost includes training of relevant stakeholders and development of training material. Support was also provided by the British High Commission, the Canadian High Commission, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which are the Judiciary’s major partners in establishing the courts.
The new court, located at the High Court building at Suddie, is the third of its kind established in Guyana, the first having been established in Demerara in 2017, and the other in Berbice earlier this year. It is expected that with its establishment, residents of the county will no longer have to expend time and money to travel to Georgetown to have such matters heard. And in addition to providing a safe environment for alleged victims of sexual offences, it is also expected to afford persons accused of such offences a speedier trial.
