Strengthening Administrative Records for Measuring Violence against Women

1. ECLAC Regional seminar to strengthen the use of administrative records to measure violence against women Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 30th November-1st December 2010

2. Process • Institutional Strengthening of the Domestic Violence Unit – GOTT/ CIDA (1998) - Policy Roundtable to inform the development of a Central Registry held at Police Administration Bldg. (Feb 1999) - Situational Analysis of the Systems of data collection on Domestic Violence in T&T-Policy directives for the Establishment of a Central Registry. (Mar 1999) - Note to Cabinet recommending that an Inter Agency Task Force be established to review the Report which emanated from the Policy Roundtable with a view to develop a comprehensive national policy to address domestic violence

3. Process (cont’d) • Cabinet Approval granted to the establishment of Task Force on 23 April 1999. Task Force to comprise: - Representatives of 5 Governmental Agencies - Judiciary/ Magistracy - Representatives of 3 Non-governmental orgs. - Demographer/ Statistician - Information System Specialist

4. Process (con’t) • Task Force - met for a period of over one year - developed/circulated a draft instrument - several agencies fail to return the completed forms. - Task Force became defunct by 2002. - no Report was submitted. N.B. 3 General Elections 2000 - 2002

5. Process (cont’d) • Policy Roundtable involving CIDA, ECLAC and stakeholders held to introduce regional instrument (Dec 2002). • Agencies reaffirmed the need for a centralised system but did not commit to using the instrument. • 2003- 2007 Shift in focus to the Preparation of a Police Investigative and Procedural Manual- Report and Note submitted to Cabinet.

6. Process (con’t) • Committee established under the Ministry of the Attorney General. • Ministry of CDC&GA hosted stakeholders’ workshop in June 2007- agencies expressed interest in resuming project. • Contract awarded to SALISES by Ministry of CDC&GA in September 2008 • Stakeholders’ workshop held in December 2008 to update stakeholders on project status.

7. Process (con’t) • Pilot of Central Registry • Inter Agency Advisory Committee established. • Monthly meetings held with Consultant. • Contract extended by 6 months to April 2010 to facilitate tasks to be performed by consultant. • Special session held with the THA. • Records of Governmental and Non-Governmental agencies examined.

8. Opportunities /Lessons Learnt • Commitment of the Consultant. • Improvement in the agencies’ data collection processes. • Institutional memory preserved. • Deepening of interagency collaboration. • Access to technical support from Development Agencies. • Build capacity both at individual and agency level.

9. Challenges • Political changes – policy shifts. • Insufficient resource personnel in relevant field e.g demographers. • Funds to commit to long term development of project. • Key stakeholders refusal to engage in pilot citing confidentiality concerns. • Changes in public sector personnel.

10. Challenges • Insufficient appreciation for the CR by policy-makers. • The physical location of the CR.

11. Way Forward • Commitment by Gov’t to continue the project • Note to be prepared and submitted to Cabinet. • Central Registry to be established even on a phased basis over the next 3 years.

12. THANK YOU