W&GEC calls for more sensitisation on women’s rights

…as annual report handed over to Parliament

The Women and Gender Equality Commission (W&GEC) on Wednesday handed over its annual report to the National Assembly while calling for more sensitisation on the code of law on women’s rights as well as the speedy establishment of the Human Rights Commission.
The call was made by W&GEC Chairperson Indranie Chandarpal as she highlighted a few of the recommendations from the annual report.
“We have recommended that they produce a harmonised code of law on women’s rights and this should be one book that contains all the law protecting women but set out as a code and separate laws. The codes should be harmonised with international law obligations and with other national laws to ensure that there are

no gaps in the protection afforded to women,” she added.
The Chairperson explained that the codes should be simplified so persons from various walks of life can understand their rights.
According to her, “Guyana should submit the report to the committee established to monitor compliance under the Convention of Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination.”
She added that the country should ratify the optional protocol of the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which will allow for individual petitions.
In addition, Chandarpal stated, “We are hoping that the Human Rights Commission would be in place very shortly because all of us are aware that the Human Rights Commission has a role to play in all these Rights Commissions, that is the admin arm of these Commissions and because of the slothful nature in having the Commission in place, it is causing some difficulties in terms of getting things done in a very timely way.”
Meanwhile, Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland spoke of some of the difficulties faced in moving forward.
“When we had passed the law that enabled the constitutional agencies to enjoy independence, in the financial area, I had said to all the heads of the agencies at that time that there would be some difficulties in moving from (point) A to B, but I did ask the heads of the agencies to let me know whether they are moving at all, given the new dispensation or if they are moving too slowly,” he asserted.
According to him, so far, only one agency would have raised concerns with him in this regard.
In handing the report over to the Speaker, Chandarpal said she hoped the recommendations made in the report will be acted upon after consideration.