UNICEF-funded $13M Sexual Offences Court opens in Berbice

A $13 million United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) funded Sexual Offences Court was on Tuesday opened at the Berbice High Court in New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The inside of the newly commissioned Sexual Offences Court in Berbice

This follows the opening of the Sexual Offences Court in Georgetown in November 2017. The new facility is expected to provide protection for victims of sexual offences as the formal courtroom can be a harrowing place for victims. While judicial proceedings are essential in restoring a sense of safety and confidence in the survivor, inadvertently, survivors are re-victimised when trying to seek justice. Consequently, victims are oftentimes hesitant to come forward and report sexual violence cases due to the procedure. The new facility is expected to put an end to such a practice and make the courtroom more comfortable for victims.
Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards while speaking at the opening, said it is aimed at providing protection for men, women and children, who are victims of sexual violence which is a criminal offence and a violation of one’s rights.
The Chancellor quoted the 2007 World Bank and United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report titled, “Crime, Violence, and Development: Trends, Costs, and Policy Options in the Caribbean”, saying that the report noted with much concern the high incidence of rape in the Caribbean region and acknowledged that it poses a serious problem for the region.
“The impact of sexual abuse has lasting emotional and psychological effects on survivors. It preys on and affects one’s emotions, and leaves behind the deepest psychological scars. It is also ubiquitous in that it can be perpetrated anywhere on any victim regardless of age, gender or sexuality preferences,” the Chancellor noted.
She said the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child; both treaties ratified by Guyana and recognised in our Constitution, require State parties to take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect children and women from physical, mental and sexual violence.
Meanwhile, Deputy British High Commissioner Ray Davison noted that for a long time the criminal justice response to rape and sexual assault in the UK has been criticised for treating victims with suspicion and subjecting them to aggressive questioning.
They can be subjected to harsh questioning leaving them feeling as if they themselves are on trial because of the focus placed on their character and actions rather than the defendants.
Survivors of rape and sexual assault, he added, don’t want to use the term victim as this plays down their bravery in confronting what has been done to them, but survivors often come across stereotypical views and myths when they come into the courtroom.
“For example, it is often raised in argument that those who delay reporting an incident to the police are more likely to be lying. They can be subjected to harsh questioning leaving them feeling as if they themselves are on trial because of the focus placed on their character and actions rather than the defendants. Further, judges and prosecution barristers do not always intervene when cross-examination of the victim becomes irrelevant or distressing. Now that is bad enough for an adult, but now consider the impact on a child who has already gone through the most horrific ordeal that one can imagine,” the British official said.
The work of the court will be complemented by the support services offered by the Social Protection Ministry and other partners. This includes the one-stop centres or Child Advocacy Centres for the reporting of abuse, UNICEF said.
Resident representative for Guyana and Suriname, Sylvia Fouet noted that UNICEF will soon be funding a Sexual Offences Court in Essequibo.
Meanwhile, Secretary of the Berbice Bar, Adrian Anamayah noted that in recent times the conditions at the court has been improving.