Document #1032220
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
According to the director of the Department
of Women's Affairs in St-George's, Grenada, there are no specific
procedures provided by the legal system for a woman to charge her
spouse with assault (5 July 1993). The source stated that there is
no provision in the Grenadian law that specifies what punishment is
to be applied for domestic violence against women (Ibid.).
This information was corroborated by a representative of the High
Commission for Grenada in Ottawa, who added that there is no
legislation which deals with domestic violence against women (5
July 1992).
Information on the procedure a person would
follow to bring criminal charges against another is contained in
the Response to Information Request GRD14704 of 6 July 1993
available at your Documentation Centre.
The U.S Department of State's Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1992 reports that
... violence against women in Grenada is common and that most cases
of spouse abuse go unreported to police authorities. ... The police
confirm that most cases of alleged abuses are not reported and
others are settled out of court. Grenadian law stipulates a
sentence of 15 years' imprisonment for a conviction of rape.
Sentences against a
spouse vary according to the severity of the incident (1993,
406).
The director of the Department of Women's
Affairs reported that the police are often reluctant to intervene
to assist women who are victims of domestic violence (5 July 1993).
The source stated that victims of domestc violence are often
unwilling to pursue the complaint in court; they quite often drop
the case, or they neglect to pursue any legal action against the
offender (Ibid.). The same source added that women, when
pursuing claims of domestic violence against their spouse or a
member of their family, are often intimidated by their own family
and the members of their community (Ibid.).
There are a number of non-governmental
organizations to assist victims of spousal abuse (Ibid.).
Among them there are two legal aid agencies (Ibid.). These
agencies have lawyers who volonteer to represent women in such
abusive situations (Ibid.). There is also a `crisis hotline'
(Ibid.).
Additional and/or corroborative information
on the requested subject could not be found among the sources
currently available to the DIRB.
Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices for 1992. 1993. U.S. Department of State. Washington:
U.S. Government Printing Office.
Department of Women's Affairs,
St-George's, Grenada. 5 July 1992. Telephone Interview with
Director.
High Commission for Grenada, Ottawa. 5
July 1993. Telephone Interview with Representative.