Victims of domestic violence prefer financial settlement out of court

Jul 03, 2011 News

– 2010 Human Rights Report

By Rabindra Rooplall Jr

Domestic violence and violence against women, including spousal abuse, are widespread and across racial and socioeconomic lines, according to a 2010 Human Rights Report.  However, most victims preferred to reach a financial settlement out of court, the report stated.
The report noted that there were instances of police accepting bribes and other reports of magistrates applying inadequate sentences to convictions. Additionally, cases that appear for a violation of protective order tend to be categorized as assault cases.
The report underscored that the law prohibits domestic violence and allows victims to seek prompt protection, occupation, or tenancy orders from a magistrate.
Nonetheless, penalties for violation of protection orders include fines of up to $10,000 and 12 months’ imprisonment. However, this legislation frequently was not enforced because of a lack of willingness to press charges on behalf of the victims and/or a lack of confidence in obtaining a remedy through the courts.
According to the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Help and Shelter, the Guyana Police Force provided facilities which are required to include domestic violence units where victims can be counseled in private.
The group noted discrepancies in police training for domestic violence, with some divisions actively involved in training, while others remained unfamiliar with the basic violence protection order. The GPF reported that it had established domestic violence units in four police divisions by year’s end.
Help and Shelter handled 346 cases of abuse and violence, including child, spousal, and other domestic abuse, of which 24 were formally filed in a court. Of these, three were prosecuted and one was dismissed during the year. Investigations into the remaining 20 cases continued.
Help and Shelter ran a free shelter for victims of domestic violence and operated a hotline to counsel victims using the funds it received from both private donors and the government.
During the year Help and Shelter conducted 36 workshops and 132 awareness sessions to sensitise individuals to domestic violence, reaching 4,313 individuals. A total of 929 were counseled for domestic abuse or violence during face-to-face counseling sessions and via the telephone hotline.
The report further noted that women and men had equal access to diagnostic services and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.
In addition, the law prohibits discrimination based on gender, but there was no legal protection against such discrimination in the workplace. Although women constituted a significant proportion of the workforce, there were credible reports that they were treated unequally as well as faced disadvantages in promotion.
Job vacancy notices routinely specified that the employer sought only male or only female applicants. The Women’s Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Labour monitored the legal rights of women, but its role was limited to employment-related services.
The bureau also held seminars on leadership and gender equity issues for women throughout the country. The constitution provides for a Women and Gender Equality Commission, whose chairperson was sworn in during April.
The law protects women’s property rights in common law marriages. It entitles a woman who separates or divorces to one-half of the couple’s property if she had regular employment during the marriage and one-third of the property if she had not been employed. In practice women’s property rights were generally observed.