Domestic Violence Act to be amended to Family Violence Act – Min. Persaud

– will offer greater protection against all forms of violence

Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud said the Domestic Violence Act will be amended to the Family Violence Act.

The minister made this disclosure at the National Park on Saturday, as the ministry hosted day two of the 16 days of Activism with a walk, rally and pop-up shop.

“The law is also being amended so we will have wider coverage, greater protection of people and we will be replacing the Domestic Violence Act with the Family Violence Act. The bill is in draft and we will be engaging the public to consult on this act so that Guyana owns this piece of legislation and that this legislation protects us all,” she said.

This comes as the PPP/C Administration continues its assiduous efforts to eradicate gender-based violence, specifically against women and girls across the country.

To further achieve this goal, the human services ministry has been spreading awareness on its 914 domestic violence toll-free, 24-hour hotline, which provides citizens with a safe space to report any form of domestic violence.

The minister said the hotline was conceptualised to change the deep-rooted habit of turning a blind eye to violence.

“For us to really make an impact we have to do it together, each one of us has a responsibility to call out violence when we see it, to report it. And we have given you a reporting tool called 914. I want us to develop into a country that has a conscience, a very, very deep-rooted conscience because if we have that kind of conscience when it comes to violence, we will be able to save lives, too many lives are being lost when it comes to violence,” she said.

Meanwhile, the minister encouraged parents to educate their children by being good examples especially as it relates to conflict resolution, so that they can respect each other as young people in society.