Pioneering Attorney Speaks to Enforcing the Law on Domestic Abuse
Dolores Balderamos-Garcia
As we reported earlier in the newscast, the issue of domestic abuse is once again at the center of an open discussion in which many, including lawyers and women’s rights activists, have been weighing in. Attorney Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, in her role as a former government official, was instrumental putting together legislation that deals with spousal mistreatment. She provides a brief history of how that piece of law came into being from its origins over thirty years ago.
Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, Attorney-at-law
“In the 1980s, coming right up to early 1990s, many of us were advocates that we absolutely needed this legislation. So the first act was in 1992. Of course, over the years of practice with it we found that there were loopholes, there needed to be strengthening and so a newer domestic violence act in which many people had good input, especially the practitioners. But when, and when I say practitioners I don’t only mean attorneys but also social workers, people at the family court et cetera, were able to give input on how we could strengthen it. The new domestic violence legislation came to force, actually it was a date of commencement of the sixth of October, 2008. That is the Domestic Violence Act that we have now. I think it’s fairly workable and fairly strong, but it is in the operation of it and the use of it that we get the facility to assist people. It is gender neutral. I hasten to say, although many times the men get the impression that the family court is there only for women, you know. We keep saying that because we have to impress it on everybody that people are not for hitting. People are not for abuse of any sort which leads me to the definition of domestic violence. It include physical, sexual, emotional, psychological or financial abuse committed by a person against a spouse, a child, a de facto spouse or any other person who is a member of the household of the applicant or the respondent.”
Other persons who have chimed in on the topic are attorneys Audrey Matura and Lisa Shoman.
First off I would like to ask, on whose hands was the gun powder residue found on. Did they do a proper investigation. We know this is where Belize always fall short. They already condeming my Dude when nobody knows what actually happened. And here comes the feminist them. Already convicting my dude without any confirmation. Even the police is not saying that he did it. Yes my dude was a womanizer. Anybody who knows him will know that. But he was not a violent person. Even the brother-in law atest to that. It could be that she got tired of him and his ways and when he came home in the morning started with him a shot him then herself. That makes more sense to me. “Woman scorned, noh.” I believe these feminist are being irrisponsible to jump out with their condemnation of the MAN just because he is the man and the woman can do no wrong. I don’t know her or what happened, and I hate to make the same mistake as the feminists them are doing, but I would like to see a proper investigation concluded before anyone pass judgement.
Who ever hand has the gun powder residue on it is your shooter. Do it right.
RIP my Dude Jay!!!
The times we spent hanging together will always be cherished.