A JUDGE has already been identified, by Chancellor of the Judiciary, Carl Singh, to preside over the Family Court, which was supposed to have begun sitting since May 2010.
But a source told the Guyana Chronicle, yesterday, that the tribunal is not yet functional because the Chancellor still has to get a few things done. However, the governing rules have been drafted and are waiting to be laid in the National Assembly shortly. The drafting was done by local officials and sent for a pronouncement by a Trinidad and Tobago expert.
The May 2010 deadline was set for the inauguration of the first ever such court in this country and the building to accommodate it was constructed in the Georgetown High Court compound.
The new, two-storey edifice has replicated the architectural style of the adjacent cCurt and Law Library and the establishment is to deal with issues such as divorce, division of property and other domestic matters, including adoption, guardianship and custody.
The initiative to have it established was prompted by awareness that the family unit is severely affected by societal demoralisation and the recognition has motivated the emphasis on providing an environment where adults and children can seek justice and related law can be dealt with in a specialised manner.
Last August, then Human Services Minister, Priya Manickchand had lamented the fact that rules for the institution were submitted to the responsible committee since November 2010 but were not yet legislated into law.