Fiji has now become compliant with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), following Cabinet’s approval earlier this week for the complete revamping of the Penal Code.
“What the revamping of these laws does is make us compliant with CEDAW, they make us compliant with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and various other international norms, standard practices and conventions,” says the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Mr Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
The Attorney-General, in officially opening the day-and-a-half Domestic Violence Decree Training this morning said that the implementation of the Domestic Violence Decree forms part and parcel of Prime Minister Bainimarama’s agenda of not just reforming the laws in Fiji but also modernizing them.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said that the Decree not only empowers women, but would also allow complainants to lodge complaints against the police if the latter does not apply for a restraining order. In addition, he said a judicial officer could order a restraining order at any stage even after proceedings have began in court.
He said that despite discussions on the Decree from 1994, it had been basically “sitting on the shelf” until the Bainimarama Government “dusted it off”, fine-tuned it before introducing it.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said that there was no point in having a law that was not going to be implemented, as such; he reveals that the implementation of the Domestic Violence Decree will take place in a few weeks time.
The Domestic Violence Decree Training, which is being held in partnership with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Department for Women and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions continues until lunch time tomorrow at the Government Training Centre at Nasese. Former High Court Judge, Ms Nazhat Shameem is facilitating the Training.