The Honourable Sir Marston Gibson, Chief Justice of Barbados will officially launch the Model Guidelines for Sexual Offence Cases in the Caribbean in Barbados.
The launch is hosted by the Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening (JURIST) Project in collaboration with the judiciary of Barbados and takes place on Tuesday October 17, 2017 at 10 am at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel, Bridgetown, Barbados. Other speakers at the launch will include Her Excellency Marie Legault, High Commissioner of Canada to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and Mrs. Nalita Gajadhar, Officer-in-Charge, Bureau of Gender Affairs, Ministry of Social Care and Community Development among others.
This will be followed by a sensitisation workshop for a cross section of justice sector stakeholders in the Barbados, who work along the justice chain with complainants and witnesses in sexual offence cases.
It is hoped that the Guidelines will be adopted by all countries in the region and that its implementation will result in:
- speedy adjudication of cases and reduction of case backlogs over time;
- improved responses to survivors that will enable their full participation in the justice system, increase offender accountability and reduce secondary victimisation;
- a trained and skilled cadre of cross-sectional professionals including judges, court personnel, police and attorneys to efficiently respond to sexual assault cases, survivors and witnesses; and
- increased public confidence in the justice system as it relates to the handling of sexual assault cases.
Barbados is the first country to launch the Guidelines which provide internationally accepted best practices for the management of sexual offence cases, and offer a rights-based approach to the treatment of complainants and vulnerable witnesses, including children, involved in sexual assault cases. The Guidelines form part of a comprehensive approach that seeks to address issues faced at the investigative, pre-trial and adjudicatory phases, as well as offenders’ rehabilitation and management.
