UNAG, JPA join in welcoming new Family Court
PRESIDENT of the United Nations Association of Guyana (UNAG), Mr. Donald Trotman said, Saturday, that he hopes the soon to be established Family Court will not only be available to the people of Georgetown but those in the interior and hinterland regions, as well. He expressed the hope while speaking to the Guyana Chronicle on the sidelines of the International Day of Families’ workshop that was conducted in the Conference Room of the National Library, on Church Street, Georgetown.
Trotman, a retired High Court Judge, said he wanted to give credit to the Government, through the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, for establishing the Family Court.
He said it is very significant that the building will be completed this month, in which International Day of Families is being observed.
Trotman observed that such an establishment is not just found in Guyana but in several states of the UN and looks forward to some of the methods that were used by the ancestors to be applied in solving disputes, such as the ‘Panchyat system’ in India and the ‘Group of Elders’ in the African ancestral societies.
As part of an 18 months Peace Project, funded by the European Union and UNAG, the workshop was hosted in collaboration with the Justices of the Peace Association (JPA) and participants from various parts of the country were invited to make their inputs on conflict resolution and peace building.
The undertaking seeks to involve organisations such as JPA, the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) and the Adult Education Association (AEA), among others, including outreach programmes in the communities, peace concerts and fun days.
At a recent fun day on the Essequibo Coast, two peace awards were presented to awardees for outstanding contributions to the resolving of disputes and the maintenance of peace in communities.

ACHIEVABLE

In his opening remarks at Saturday’s forum, Trotman said, while it is difficult to achieve peace, it certainly is achievable “if we put our heads and hearts together.”
There is no point in sitting down and grumbling over the present situation, he declared.
Trotman said UNAG realised that it cannot fulfill its objectives without networking and so, after discussions, the workshop was organised to find ways and means of bringing about peace and harmony.
“We must put our ideas together and work with the authorities,” he advised.
In light of the observance of International Day of Families on Saturday, Trotman said most of the world’s problems arise from within the family unit and can be solved right there, adding that it is families who can make or break a nation.
Concerning the Family Court, he suggested that there should not be only one judge presiding but proposed that there could be several itinerant judges, so that people from all parts of the country would be able to make use of the tribunal.
Trotman contended that, if there is only one judge, then the backlog problem facing the traditional courts will also plague the Family Court.
JPA President, Mr. Herman Bholaisingh, in his remarks, said JPs, who are the eyes and ears of villages, are scattered all across the country.
He noted that help is needed from parliamentarians, the courts and other sources and one of the problems constantly encountered is that people are unwilling to come forward wholeheartedly to talk about their issues, because of fear.
Bholaisingh said attendance at the workshop was voluntary and, though the turnout was not of the best, he was confident that the response will be better in the years to come.
Referring to himself and Trotman, he said: “We could have been living overseas but we have recognised that our country needs us more than anything else.”
Bholaisingh said, to attain peace, cooperation is needed from all, including the religious bodies, the jail and children.
Attorney-at-law, Mr. Harrichand Mahadeo, who is also a member of UNAG, said constructing the Family Court was a 1995 idea of former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Ms. Desiree Bernard.

TRAINED

He said the Court must function with trained personnel and include probation and guidance and counselling officers.
Mahadeo advised that the good from the past be taken and wrapped up with the good of the present, to make a more effective Family Court.
He urged those present to avoid language and actions that cause conflicts and to respect themselves because, in doing so, they would be in a better position to respect others.
The workshop gathered participants from various parts of the country, among them from the Peace Councils of Enmore, East Coast Demerara; Suddie, Essequibo Coast and East Canje, Berbice.
A Government Information Agency (GINA) report said the objective of the new Court is to encourage the preservation of the family unit and ensure the needs of women and children are adequately met.
It quoted Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Ms. Priya Manickchand as saying the initiative was prompted by the awareness that the family unit is severely affected by societal demoralisation and motivated the need to place emphasis on providing an environment where adults and children can seek justice and redress and family law can be dealt with in a specialised manner.
The Court will adjudicate on issues such as divorce, division of property and other domestic matters like, adoption, guardianship and custody.
The two-storey edifice in the High Court, Georgetown compound has replicated the architectural style of the Supreme Court, its adjoining mediation centre and library, GINA said.