Magistrates trained on gender-responsive justice for survivors of violence

Magistrates serving in all magisterial districts across the country on Tuesday benefitted from a training on gender-responsive justice for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

The exercise was conducted by Chief Justice Melissa Gillespie, of the Provincial Court of British Columbia.

The one-day workshop, titled “Applying a trauma-informed gender and culturally sensitive approach to the application of justice”, was a collaborative effort between the Judiciary of Guyana and the Justice Education Society (JES Guyana), and it was funded by Global Affairs Canada.

According to a statement from the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the workshop was aimed at heightening the awareness of members of the judiciary on gender bias, stereotypes, and the delivery of gender-responsive justice for women and girls who are survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

“Globally, 1 in 3 women experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a partner or sexual violence by a non-partner (WHO: 2013), while data from Guyana suggests that one in every 2 women has experienced violence,” the GPF said in a statement.

It added that, “recognising that survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (and other violent crimes) will have histories of violence and trauma, providing services to survivors of gender-based violence in the context of Guyana requires diverse and specialised interventions.”

According to the GPF, one of the mandates of service providers to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence is to avoid retraumatising those who require and utilise their services. The GPF noted that trauma-informed approach has been recognised in developed countries as an effective intervention, particularly for those engaging the criminal justice system.

“Trauma-informed approaches are policies and practices that recognise the connections between violence, trauma, and negative health outcomes,” the GPF said.

According to the GPF, upon conclusion of this workshop, magistrates are expected have an insightful grasp of the impact of utilising a trauma-informed, gender and culturally sensitive approach during and after the adjudication process.

This will enable the magistrates in developing and integrating best practices as it pertains to a trauma-informed approach in the context of Guyana.

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