Improving Women’s Rights Under The Law

Despite the general downtrend of crime over the last several years an alrming trend is beginning to surface: the brutal slaying of our women. Since the start of this year, more than 41 women have lost their lives to acts of violence. This trend of violence must stop.

ENACTING LEGISLATION

The Ministry of National Security and Justice has commited itself to enacting legislation and pursuing policy initiatives to improve the rights of women under the law. In 1996, the Ministry passed the Domestic Violence Act to give [victims] greater protection against spousal abuse.

MEDIATION

[Recognising that] mediation is the best way to resolve domestic issues before they escalate into violence, the Alternate Disputes Resolution Foundation was established to help provide a cadre of trained personnel to intervene in domestic disputes at the community level. Some 500 mediators have already been trained island-wide and every police station now has a trained mediator. Persons throughout the justice system are also to be trained in mediation under a Governmnet of Jamaica/Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Project. The law is to be amended to give Resident Magistrates the power to refer cases to mediation.

SEXUAL OFFENCES UNIT

The Ministry of National Security and Justice established the Sexual Offences Unit as a division of the police to investigate cases of sexual abuse. The Unit is fully staffed by specially trained female officers, who are equipped to provide [appropriate support] to women who have been raped and sexually violated, while the police conduct investigations to bring the attackers to justice.

VICTIM SUPPORT PROGRAMME

In 1998 we began setting up Victim Support Programmes across the island to provide moral