Roseau, Dominica: Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica, presented an update on the bills at his press conference on Friday and announced that the country’s Parliament will meet at 10 a.m. to improve the lives of women, children, and older people, he declared that the House of Assembly would host the introduction of family bills.
PM Roosevelt Skerrit outlined the laws’ objectives and stated they are willing to provide women, children, and older people with additional protection, care, and assistance. The Parliament will pass various measures, some of which will guarantee children’s equality.
Minister Skerrit claimed that all discriminatory legal clauses pertaining to a kid born out of marriage will be eliminated with these measures.
According to him, regardless of their parent’s marital status, according to this act, all children would be treated equally in the eyes of the law.
It is significant because it also deals with the issue of inheritance and succession issues, which means that every Dominican child will be treated equally under the law in terms of how their parents treat them, how the law is treated, and how the law recognises them.
In addition, Minister Skerrit also mentioned that a bill related to child support would be created to approve the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The law will enhance the current regulations concerning, among other things, the responsibility of both parents to support a child, the details of the maintenance order, the length of the order, and the mode of payment.
Regarding child servicing, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit stated that the matter is always important, particularly for single parents and children in the community who are severely harmed when one parent refuses their responsibility to provide adequate financial support for a minor child.
He explained how the measure will normalise these circumstances and give children stability and safety. The government will also file a bill for legislation governing the upkeep of parents and spouses.
The Dominican PM continued by saying that it guarantees the reasonable maintenance of spouses after cohabitation, that is, after the breakup or dissolution of the relationship.
According to Minister Skerrit, this act also covers the care and support of parents and grandparents who require maintenance due to age, physical or mental infirmity, or handicap.
While enclosing another domestic violence bill, the Dominican PM outlined that the introduction of a bill for an act awarding protection to domestic violence victims and ensuring their safety.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit emphasised there is also a bill for an act to provide for the care and protection of children as it applies explicitly to adoption services.
This bill significantly impacts society as it will enable them to guarantee that family member’s rights and obligations are safeguarded in every circumstance and that they are treated fairly and equitably following Dominican law.
He mentioned that five different laws, all related to the welfare and well-being of citizens, particularly the weak, children, and victims of domestic violence, would be introduced in Parliament.
In order to manage welfare issues about the care of children, women, older people, and other vulnerable groups more effectively and efficiently, he stated that the cabinet had authorised a new structure for the social services department before the enactment of this legislation.
According to PM Skerrit, the welfare division will function under the new structure with more employees. The newly organised department will also offer support for families, and Tuesday’s meeting of Parliament is expected to guarantee their correct implementation and effectiveness monitoring.
Minister Skerrit mentioned that the higher expenditure for this new structure’s salaries alone will be close to $400,000. A division of the criminal investigations unit of the police force will be established in addition to the existing budget for the welfare department and all other government departments to concentrate only on investigating reports of child abuse and domestic violence in Dominica.
These officers will also receive the necessary training to respond faster to calls for investigations, ensure that investigations are successful, and put resources in place for inquiries.
PM Skerrit said that the child’s well-being could not be left only in the hands of the state, and domestic abuse cannot be eliminated with the help of laws and resources alone.
He stressed that the entire community will have to get involved in it. While appealing for the community’s assistance, Prime Minister Skerrit said that the issue was about people and that society could play a significant role by eliminating injustices against children and the presence and prevalence of domestic violence in society.
PM Skerrit also guarantees that he is still dedicated to getting the required measures passed in Parliament to update Dominica’s voting system. He expressed disappointment that as of April 21, 2023, he still hadn’t brought the complete list of suggestions to present to the populace and the Dominican Parliament.
PM Skerrit also informed the CARICOM leaders of their efforts to modernise the voting system and to encourage additional cooperation from the administration to move Dominica’s election reform process forward.