Guyana has earmarked GY$56 million (One Guyana dollar=US$0.004) to construct two domestic violence night shelters and aid women and families fleeing domestic violence.
Senior Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh said during the presentation of the Budget earlier this week that this is part of the government’s no-tolerance approach to tackling violence in all forms.
“Since taking office, we have focused on numerous interventions to curb gender-based violence in our country which are also aligned with guidelines set out by the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.
“While Guyana continues to work towards achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, efforts will be intensified toward tackling the prevalent social issue of violence against women and girls. We are committed to ensuring that Guyana is safer for all women to live, work and enjoy a good quality of life,” he said.
The two domestic violence shelters are expected to be opened later this year and together the shelters cost GY$27.3 million. The shelters will provide refuge for women and children fleeing from abuse.
The remaining GY$28.7 million is being expended to support Help and Shelter – a non-governmental organization formed as a response to the high incidence of violence, alcoholism and poverty in Guyana – to enhance the services available for women and families.
The government has implemented several initiatives to combat domestic violence, including the 914 24-hour hotline and iMatter app for immediate reporting of violence.
The Survivor’s Advocate Programme which is linked directly to the hotline to provide counselling services to victims of abuse, and the COPSQUAD2000 initiative which saw over 1,476 police officers trained to deal with domestic violence-related matters, are other interventions.
In addition, the government’s contribution to support legal aid services increased to GY$114.9 million in 2022, which saw 7,597 persons benefitting from legal services. Other key initiatives included the opening of a new child advocacy centre in Region Eight, and the launch of a parent manual to promote child development, knowledge, and non-violent methods of discipline.
To this end, an additional GY$114.9 million was allocated in the budget to continue government’s contribution to legal aid services required by victims.
CMC/
