Chairman of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians and Speaker of the House of Assembly, Alix Boyd-Knights, is calling on women in Dominica to look out for each other as International Women’s Day is observed today.
She is also proposing legislation that will make it easier for perpetrators of violence against women and girls to be brought to justice.
“I am appealing to Dominican women in particular to recognize that we are our sister’s keeper,” she told DNO in an interview. “And when we know of abusive situations of our neighbours, the Domestic Violence Act allows anybody who knows of such an action against a victim to go and make the first report to the police so that so they can look into it.”
She said Dominica has had domestic violence legislation for some time now, however, they are not as effective as they should be.
She said the two pieces of legislation that have to do with violence against women, the Sexual Offenses Act and the Domestic Violence Act, lack the built-in enforcement mechanisms to make them effective.
“For example the Sexual Offenses Act says the age of consent is 16,” Boyd-Knights said. “So you ask yourself if a 14-year-old appears in the hospital to have a baby and you have some proof that some kind of offense was committed against that act, whose responsibility it is to call the police? Who is going to let the authorities know that a crime has been committed against that child? None. And this is where the act is lacking.”
She also pointed out that the Sexual Offenses Act does not address women who knowingly allow their children, especially girls, to be sexually abused for financial reasons and the like. “Should she (the mother) not be made under that law a culpable as the man?” she asked.
Boyd-Knights also noted that Domestic Violence Act does not deal with law enforcement officials who fail to act when reports are made by abused women. “There should be in the act where the police officer having been informed of a situation of abuse and he does not act, he himself has to be sanctioned,” she argued.
She said it is always difficult for a victim to pursue her perpetrator from a criminal perspective and she is proposing what she calls “Let the Pocket Pay.”
“Encompassed in this proposal is the acknowledgement of the difficulties encountered in obtaining a conviction against an alleged perpetrator of violence against a woman or girl, the recognition that it may be easier and more practical to pursue the civil route of litigation against such an alleged perpetrator whereby the victim sues him civilly, with the attendant standard of proof for civil matters.”she said in her message to mark International Women’s Day.
She pointed out that legislation for such a proposal would of necessity include: “state provided legal aid to victims wishing to pursue this route; substantial financial compensation to victims from the perpetrators; where an alleged perpetrator, has admitted culpability so wishes, and the victim agrees, a mediation framework be established to determine the level of compensation to be paid as well as mandatory remedial counseling for the perpetrator at his own cost.”
Meanwhile, at at a public forum held on Thursday night as part of activities to observe International Women’s Day, teachers were called upon to intervene in the classroom in an early attempt to minimize the breeding of violence in the society.
“How do we change the mindset of our young men … how many teachers are here today? These are the type of people who can make inroads into situations like that and these are the people who are with the children for six to eight hours a day,” Counselor and CARIMAN representative, Lester Guye, said.
The theme for this year’s observation of International Women’s Day is “A promise is a promise: time for action to end violence against women.”
When Mrs GON Emmanuel home was fire bombed in a viloent murder attempt on her life, where was this Knight Woman????
And what does have to do with the price of cocoa?
And what have YOU done for Mrs Emmanuel?????
Justice – let us talk about Justice – how long has your Government been in power Madame? And over two decades later you are writing this, “Dominica has had domestic violence legislation for some time now, however, they are not as effective as they should be.” You should be ashamed of yourself as a woman in this Government! Who Madame, may I ask is responsible for “making the legislation as effective as they should be”? Over ten years and you cannot fix it?!
Before you make this kind of comment you should find out about governance and how laws are passed.
Have you not heard the lady in her capacity as a lawyer speak about it and marital rape? All you too bias some times.
no comments for this lady story?
seem like some ppl words are becoming mute!
this is just a showoff thing.so many women in dominica have their rights baffled.at home, at work.you have divorced women who don’t get what is comming to them in compensation and the justice system so slow in reacting to their demands.come on dominica,wake and give women their rights RESPECT.women who work with their husbands and are being treated negatively.
Yes it is true you speak the reality of what happens in today society against woman but would anyone actually take Ms Boyd-Knights serious. Yes I know its about the message and not the messenger but in this case it is about the messenger. A messenger must be a messenger of truth and balance and free from partisan politics. the question is can we attribute that to Ms Boyd-Knights. I will let you answer if you are about truth. Ms Boyd-Knight stop being a messenger of convenience and just maybe people might take you serious.
My mind is not tiny so I cannot take in your objection not even if you were Alexander the Great.
What rubbish are you talking? You first agree that the lady is speaking the truth about the situation and then you say she must be a messenger of truth? If you don’t like the lady’s politics, just admit it but what on God’s green earth does the lady’s a seeming political bias got to do with her truthful (by even your own admission) observations. It seems to me it is your bias that is messing up your perception. Not hers. Hmmmmm!!!
hun, speaking to the 9 woman jury that set man free after he broke his restraining order to keep away from a woman, broke into the home she living in, causing her to flee through the window and still get acquitted!!
It is about time that we start upholding the law in Dominica. The nurses and doctors, school teachers, Sunday school teachers, counselors, just name it, should be mandated reporters of crimes against women and girls.
Neighbors have a responsibility to report, however we are dealing with Dominicans here. The abused will be the first to say “mind your damn business, stay out of my business.” Dominicans tend to blame the women and girls for sexual and physical abuse.
Don’t talk about when the abuse is from someone in authority. Priest and pastor are never held accountable for crimes committed against our young boys and girls. We know of these acts yet still we hypocritely sit down in church every Sunday and Saturday listening to these pedophiles and rapist preach.