GUYANA’S Ambassador to the United States, Riyad Insanally, said government will soon open consultations on the development of a National Plan of Action for the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act; a National Sexual Harassment Policy and a National Plan for Working with Perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence.

He made reference too of other initiatives in Guyana for the prevention of violence against women and children, such as the development of an Integrated Crime and Violence Information System, which has facilitated the establishment of data centres at the Guyana Police Force Headquarters and the Ministry of Public Security, for the integration of all police stations to access information on domestic violence and other crimes.

Insanally, who is also Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the Organisation of American States (OAS), made the comments on Tuesday when he led a delegation of this country to a special meeting of the hemispheric body Permanent Council, to commemorate International Human Rights Day and the end of 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based-Violence.

The delegation also consisted of Mrs. Lesley Dowridge-Collins, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Messrs John Chester-Inniss and Jason Fields, Alternate Representatives. According to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs release, the purpose of the special meeting was to address the prevention and eradication of violence against women in the Americas.

The event began with presentations by a three-member female panel, which consisted of Commissioner Esmeralda Arosemena de Troitiño, President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and Rapporteur on the Rights of Children; IACHR Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay, Rapporteur on the Rights of Women; and Ms. Sylvia Mesa Peluffo, President of the Committee of Experts of the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention on the prevention, punishment and eradication of violence against women.

In his remarks, Ambassador Insanally highlighted the Government of Guyana’s commitment to ending all forms of violence against women and children and informed that Guyana has enacted several pieces of legislation that provide the political and legal framework for implementation, including the Domestic Violence, Prevention of Discrimination, Protection of Children and the Sexual Offences Acts.

The ambassador also highlighted several other regulatory provisions that support the government’s commitment, including a National Taskforce for the Prevention of Sexual Violence; a Ministerial Taskforce for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons; the establishment of a Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit within the Ministry of Social Protection; and a Sexual Offences High Court and Victim Support Unit.

In addition, he referred to advocacy efforts geared at the revision of key legislation relative to the prevention of violence against women and children, such as the revision of the Domestic Violence Act to institute harsher penalties on perpetrators of sexual and domestic violence. Finally, Ambassador Insanally reported that the Women and Gender Equality Commission, a constitutional body, addresses gender issues, promotes the advancement of women in Guyana, conducts investigations and makes recommendations to Parliament. He added that the development of a Gender Policy is at the consultative phase and is intended to address the issues of gender socialisation and development among other areas.