Domestic violence victims to receive free legal aid with the launch of Legal Pro-bono 500 Initiative

GEORGETOWN, Guyana - Geared at eliminating instances of gender-based violence, the European Union/United Nations Spotlight Initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security and the Guyana Bar Association on December 23, 2021, launched the Legal Pro-bono 500 Initiative.

The initiative will see the Guyana Bar Association providing legal aid to victims and vulnerable persons across Guyana, until the end of 2022.

Under the Spotlight Initiative, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Shanielle Hussain-Outar and President of the Guyana Bar Association, Pauline Chase, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Hon. Dr. Vindhya Persaud, said the ministry is committed to creating more avenues of legal services across the country, to eradicate all forms of violence against women, girls, men and boys.

“Access to Justice is an important, very important and significant aspect to curb what we see right across our country, and that is the steady stream of people seeking access to justice, and for one reason or another, not able to achieve that in a timely manner or not at all. This does not mean that there are not avenues to access justice. This does not mean that legal services are absent. It simply means that there’s need for more,” the Minister said.

Minister Persaud extended appreciation to the Guyana Bar Association for partnering with her ministry to help curb the issue.

“So, I want to sincerely express my appreciation to the Guyana Bar Association for so willingly being party to this and so willingly considering the request that was not just one case but 500 cases per year, at no cost to anyone, which means it’s not a financial measurement. It is also time and effort that will be spent until these cases are resolved.”

The United Nations has committed to providing human resources, technical assistance and facilities to the tune of US$6 million to run the legal pro-bono service efficiently and to ensure that women and girls are provided with a future free from violence. 

Ambassador of the European Union to Guyana, H.E Fernando Ponz Cantó said the EU is supportive and happy to be a part of the government’s efforts to eliminate gender-based violence through this initiative.

“[This MOU] will allow for many people to have access to justice, which is one of the most important human rights in history. We are very happy to be able to make this contribution to you all. And we hope that these will result in a better future for the women and girls of Guyana,” Ambassador Cantó said.

President of the Bar Association, Pauline Chase in her address recognised the need for legal support for victims. She iterated the Bar’s pleasure in being part of the initiative. 

(Article referenced from Department of Public Information, Guyana)