The final debate on abolition of child marriages is expected to be heard before June, says Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi.
He gave an update on the matter recently when he spoke to students of St Joseph’s Convent, San Fernando. He urged them to speak out on the issues they would want discussed during the debate.
Government is seeking to amend legislation to raise the new legal age of marriage to 18. Four months ago, there was a vote in the Senate to end child marriage, but Opposition members and one Independent senator abstained.
The AG, who spoke about the United Nation’s sustainable development goals during the school’s Big Draw function at San Fernando Hill, said: “You have noted that we have been very careful to pick up a conversation which has been going on for 26 years, that is the abolition of child marriages.
“Child marriages are a feature of the laws of T&T. As a result of that we had direct discussions with young people of T&T, including persons in society who deal with gender equality and rights of women and I am very pleased to say that the final debate on the child marriage abolition legislation is due to be concluded before June of this year and that will be something that will take care of 26 years of analysis paralysis.”
With the help of the UN and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Government was able to create the country’s first Children and Family Division Court.
Al-Rawi said 18 pieces of law had been amended to deal with gender inequality, children’s right, the Children Authority and access for justice in appropriate environment.
The AG also announced that Cabinet has approved the San Fernando Waterfront Development project “which bites into a large part of the issues associated with Development Goal One, which is no poverty. He said they will be dealing with the squatting communities at Hatters panyard, behind the La Basse and at the wharf “in a social interaction and survey with responsibility.”
“Imagine the creation of a place which involves entertainment, business, beauty much like the San Fernando Hill,” he said.
Al-Rawi said there were 4,000 to 6,000 squatters in San Fernando West.
During the function, the school was officially inducted into the Unesco Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet). According to UNESCO’s website, 10,000 ASPnet member schools in over 180 countries work in support of international understanding, peace, inter-cultural dialogue, sustainable development and quality education in practice.
