Courts urged to put FSV cases first

By PHOEBE GWANGILO
Constitutional Law Reforms Committee Secretary Dr Eric Kwa wants family sexual and gender-based violence made a priority in districts courts
He suggested an urgent and more serious approach to the offences following concerns raised by service providers that victims or complainants withdraw their cases because they take too long to go through the court system.
He said this caused fear among the victims – for their lives – for feeling intimidated in cases where the perpetrators are the breadwinners.
“We must give priority to family and sexual violence and gender-based violence cases because lives of women and girls are at risk,” Kwa said on Tuesday during a three-day law and justice stakeholder consultation – family and sexual violence – in Port Moresby.
“The more we delay, the riskier it becomes for the victims,” he said.
Kwa suggested the chief magistrate should consider a district court for family and sexual violence.
He also suggested training prosecutors and court workers to deal with victims and their cases.
The information and ideas shared in the meeting will be contributed to a report of a consolidated strategy to inform the law and justice sector and government on how agencies were integrating and addressing FSV issues.
The meeting was organised by the Consultation Implementation Monitoring Committee through the family sexual violence action committee in partnership with the Department of Justice and Attorney-General and funded by the Justice Service and Stability for Development .