While women’s rights remain the most urgent human rights priority, they remain  subordinated to broader gender concerns as reflected, not least, in the UN International Women’s Day 2016 theme of “Planet 50-50 by 2030 – step It Up For Gender Equality” – a complacent time-frame seemingly unperturbed  by the untold numbers of murdered and disfigured females that can be expected ...

This year’s celebration of International Women’s Day is the first within the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are confidently asserted in that Agenda as intrinsic to progress. The new Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals include a specific goal to achieve gender equality, which aims to end discrimination and violence against women ...

For millions of women and girls around the world, gender equality and the full enjoyment of human rights remain elusive. For instance, nearly 14 million children are forced into marriage every year; that is 37,000 girls being denied their fundamental human rights every single day!Every day, 7.3 million babies in developing countries are born to mothers who are 17 or ...

As we near local government elections on March 18th and Guyana’s 50th anniversary of independence on May 26th, this year’s International Women’s Day takes on added significance.   The contributions of women to Guyana’s rich history are too many to list. The influence of leaders like former President Janet Jagan, former Public Service Minister Dr. Faith Harding, and former Member of ...

A Surinamese woman, who attempted to smuggle cocaine from Guyana to Barbados, was Monday jailed for three years. Damario Cheslie was found guilty for being in possession of 526 grammes of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. She was found guilty of the offence that was committed on May 17, 2015 at the Ogle International Airport, East Coast Demerara. At ...

A young man who, allegedly stabbed his 18-year old girlfriend 41 times almost one year ago, was Monday arraigned for murder. Appearing before East Coast Demerara Magistrate, Zameena Ally-Seepaul, the accused – Shivanand “Shiv” Roopnarine- was not required to plea to the indictable charge that he murdered Alicia Mc Pherson on April 19, 2015 at 612 ‘C’ Field, Sophia. The 22-year ...

In keeping with the theme for this year, ‘ Gender Equality by 2030’, the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers encourages women in Guyana to keep their eye on the prize, and work, together with all other women in the world to achieve this goal. Equality is not an elusive dream, as some persons would prefer to have us think, and ...

As one who took issue with President Granger’s initial comments on the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry Report, I feel obligated to commend the president for his most recent comments which to mind are more in keeping with his stature and that of the office he holds. As a reminder, I felt his comments last week were clearly partisan and ...

My critique of State Violence against citizens since Independence, including those who oppose the government has understandably enraged opinion on both sides of our ethno-political divide. The two opinions have one thing in common—they both contend that the state under their party’s watch was reacting to violence perpetrated against the State. That line is not new; these proponents may not ...

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo fears that the APNU+AFC-led coalition government plans to rig future elections by setting the stage to register thousands of underage persons. Addressing hundreds of persons at Babu John, Port Mourant,  Corentyne on Sunday, March 6, 2016 in honour of late People’s Progressive Party founder-leader, Dr. Cheddi Jagan,  the Opposition Leader reasoned that the voters list could ...