Domestic Violence

On September 25th, the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs (AGLA) hosted the Public Consultation on Domestic Violence – The Need for Greater Protection, led by the Criminal Justice Unit, and was part of Government’s prioritization of the need to ensure greater protection for the victims of domestic violence. The scourge of domestic violence continues to plague our society, disproportionately affecting our women and girls.

This consultation sought to bring together key stakeholders in the public, private, international and civil society space, to critically assess the deficiencies in the justice system in adequately responding to the needs of victims of domestic violence. The consultation examined the varying roles and responsibilities of relevant state agencies and highlighted the areas for immediate improvement. Key topics that were the subject of assessment included; policy and legislative interventions, law enforcement responses and handling of domestic violence cases, monitoring and evaluation of resources allocated to this cause and how effectively this has redounded to the benefit of victims, the rights of victims and their families, judicial responses and a roadmap for critical areas identified for improvement. Importantly, the voice of victims of domestic violence was a critical feature of the discussions.

It was our desire that this consultation uprooted key deficiencies in the system and allowed us to confront these challenges with proven solutions in order to eradicate this recurring societal crisis. The immediate objective was for stakeholders to ensure that domestic violence cases are not easily dismissed and that proper investigations and prosecutions are conducted to ensure the safety and protection of victims.