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He said he was impressed with the work that the commission has done, noting that he attended two of their workshops and was pleased with what he heard, and he congratulated them for this.
Mr. Trotman pointed out that some of the members of the commission are up for reappointment, and assured that he would do whatever he can to support their work and their desire to be reappointed.
He stated that it is important that more men hear what is happening with regard to the plight of women. He also noted that it was a privilege to receive the report which will be presented to members of the House at the next sitting of the National Assembly on August 7.
INTEGRATED NETWORK
According to him, when parliament resumes in October, he expects to have the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Sherlock Isaacs put forth a proposal to the parliamentary management committee so that they can have an integrated network between the Parliament of Guyana and the various commissions.
He informed that meetings have already started and they hope to complete them as soon as possible. He and Mr. Isaacs have started an engagement with the CEOs of the commissions.
Trotman stated that the report of the Women and Gender Equality Commission will not only be received by the National Assembly, but they have invited the commission to present their findings before the entire House.
He further stated that he would like to have the House resolve itself into committee form so that there will be a question and answer session. However, while the standing orders at present do not provide for that, he is sure that no member will object to such a proposal.
Additionally, he informed that Mr. Isaacs has also proposed that they bring the functioning of the commissions in terms of financial accountability under the office of the National Assembly so that they do not have to go directly to the Ministry of Finance to obtain support for events such as trips to hinterland communities.
He added that there should be a fund which allows them to act and take initiatives rather than having to wait to see what comes up for them in the budget.
Speaker Trotman said that these are the proposals which they are making, and he hopes that they will be accepted.
Meanwhile, also making remarks on the occasion, Chairperson of the Commission, Mrs. Indra Chandarpal said that the commission has come a far way since it was formed, particularly in terms of building a fraternity among themselves.
Pointing out that the commission is composed of persons from diverse interest groups and perhaps with varying political backgrounds, she said that this indicates that irrespective of who persons are and where they come from, it is possible together to achieve common goals.
Mrs. Chandarpal stated that the members of the commission have worked as a team and publicly thanked each member for the work they have done.
She also expressed how gratified she is with the assurances of support by the Speaker of the National Assembly and noted that the report captures all the events undertaken by the commission.
According to her, last year when they looked at their 2013 programme, they had identified access to justice as an important ingredient in their work, and they have so far undertaken nine outreaches in the administrative regions of Guyana.
She said that the only region in which they were not able to conduct an outreach was Region 8 (Potaro/Siparuni), which they will be doing this month.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Mrs. Chandarpal related that out of those programmes, they have listened to hundreds of people and they have heard their problems and recommendations, which they captured in the report and believe that action needs to be taken.
She made particular reference to the issue of unwaged labour, which has never been talked about before and for which they were able to have a workshop to discuss.
According to her, their recommendations to parliament include sensitisation programmes to be implemented for trafficking in persons and sexual offences, creation of a policy on sexual harassment in the workplace and a review of the building code to include provision for access to persons with disabilities.
