Antigua and Barbuda will be the fifth Caribbean country to launch the Model Guidelines for Sexual Offence Cases in the Caribbean Region.
The launch is hosted by the Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening (JURIST) Project in collaboration with the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) and takes place on Thursday January 11, 2018 at 10 am at the Trade Winds Hotel in St. John’s, Antigua.
Speakers at the launch will include the Honourable Steadroy Benjamin, Attorney General of Antigua and Barbuda; The Honourable Mme. Justice Gertel Thom, High Court Judge, ECSC and Her Excellency Marie Legault, High Commissioner of Canada to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, among others.
This will be followed by a sensitisation workshop for a cross section of justice sector stakeholders in the Eastern Caribbean, who work along the justice chain with complainants and witnesses in sexual offence cases.
The Guidelines 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.
