“Violence must not be a first choice” – DPP on tackling domestic violence

…says laws in place but education crucial

Director of Public Prosecution, Shalimar Ali-Hack has emphasized the need for greater education and early intervention to combat violence in Guyana, even as domestic abuse continues to claim lives across the country.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of the just concluded We Lift 6 Expo hosted by the Human Services and Social Security Ministry on Friday last, she said Guyana has made significant strides in strengthening its legal framework to address violence but noted that legislation alone cannot prevent such incidents.
“We have the legislative framework; we have the social services protection. But at the same time, we are seeing these events every day in the press. Why? There’s no society in the world where you will not find violence. It was there before our time, and it will be there after our time. But our aim and our objective must be to control it and to see how much we can minimize it. And it’s these services that are available that can be used to minimize these occurrences. A very important aspect of the carbon of violence is education,” she said.
Ali-Hack explained that over the years Guyana has introduced several pieces of legislation aimed at addressing violence in society, including the Family Violence Act, the Sexual Offences Act, and the Restorative Justice Act.
These laws allow for various forms of sentencing depending on the circumstances surrounding each case, including fines, counselling, suspended sentences and rehabilitation programmes.
However, a major challenge in prosecuting domestic violence cases remains the reluctance of victims to proceed with legal actions, sometimes due to family relations, economic dependence and emotional ties.
“We take the statements, and we are ready to institute a charge, and then the complainant comes forward and says that they don’t want, the complainant says she does not want or he does not want to proceed. I can understand due to family relations and whatever attachments, because we are dealing here with human beings. These are not robots, and they are not appliances. And they have feelings, and they have emotions, and they have needs, and those needs may be economic needs. And these all have to be taken into consideration in whether to proceed with the prosecution. And that’s why we have developed the restorative justice system.”
Education, public awareness
According to the director of public prosecution, education and public awareness remain key in preventing such tragedies.
“Violence must not be a first choice,” she said, urging citizens to use dialogue and conflict resolution instead of aggression.
The issue of domestic violence has once again come into focus following the death of 39-year-old Caslene Toney, a housewife of Long Creek along the soesdyle Linden Highway.
Reports indicate that the woman was discovered at her home with multiple stab wounds by her sister, who later alerted the police. The man, who is said to be Toney’s reputed husband, was later located by police in nearby backlands. He was taken into custody after ranks intervened when he allegedly attempted to harm himself.
Relatives have since indicated that Toney had endured years of abuse. They also stated that she had previously been severely beaten but had declined to pursue criminal charges.
Toney leaves to mourn six children, the oldest aged 18 and the youngest three.