The 914 Hotline which was launched by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security back in 2020 has received a noticeable increase in reports with the first half of the year registering 360 complaints compared with 260 during the same reporting period last year.
The ministry has noted nonetheless that work continues towards putting the requisite mechanisms in place to mitigate such occurrences and to provide victims with the support they need. As an example of this, the ministry noted that a total of 46 domestic violence cases were addressed by the legal aid services. Creditable work remains ongoing on this front to ensure victims’ rights are protected.
Further, 1,476 police officers received training to strengthen their skills in handling domestic violence matters during the review period, under the COPSQUAD Initiative which was launched by Minister Vindhya Persaud.
In keeping with the Government’s support for the prevention of domestic violence, a decision was taken in early 2022 to overhaul the Domestic Violence Act (1996) and the Sexual Offences Act (2010) as part of the 2022 legislative agenda, with a view to address major social issues.
