Too many women being killed

TOO MANY WOMEN are being killed when they try to save themselves from personal situations gone bad by seeking protection from the courts.

Morvant resident Judith Murray raised that concern during a forum hosted by the Judicial Education Institute (JEI) at the Angostura Event Hall, House of Angostura, Laventille, on Thursday. Murray said in many of these instances, these women are the victims of “truant men.” She urged the Judiciary to put things in place to deal with the situation because it could “turn justice on its head.”

School principal Wayne Jordan welcomed the open forum but felt another venue like the Success Laventille Secondary School could have been used. He felt a venue like that would have encouraged more members of the community, especially the young people, to come out and express their views. Saying many young people in the community were pulled into a life of crime, Jordan said he recently attended the funeral of one of his former students who was murdered.

In response to Murray, Justice Peter Jamadhar said all of those issues that had a real gender component show that women were a vulnerable group that needed “special attention and treatment.” Jamadhar said the Judiciary was looking at these issues through a gender lens. “Within the Judiciary, we are addressing gender.”

Justice Andrea Smart told the gathering that she presided in the Family Court. After saying she tried not to take her work home with her, Smart said whether she made the right order was something that kept her awake at night. While she can order people to stay away from homes, Smart said, “I can’t make them obey my orders.” She added, “It’s something that concerns me and I take it very seriously. My orders can affect families forever.”

Jamadhar assured Jordan that the JEI would broaden its reach to communities over time. Justice Gillian Lucky said bail applications were some of the first matters she dealt with, after she was appointed as judge. She recalled a young man from Laventille appeared before her in one matter. Saying she denied him bail on that occasion, Lucky said the man told her, “Judge, you don’t know.”

Lucky said she heard that view from other people who complained about the difficulty they face in accessing bail. Saying the same person appeared before her on another occasion in a different court, Lucky told him then, “Yes, I know.” She said his new question was, “Judge, what you doing?” Indicating that efforts were being made to address accessibility to bail, Lucky said solutions affecting people’s ability to access justice involve a “listen, analyse and solve” approach.