East Timor’s Judicial System Monitoring Programme (JSMP) is the only source of English language reports of any kind on proceedings before the Courts in East Timor. Here is a list of cases reported by JSMP. A superficial analysis does indicate that domestic violence continues to be a widespread social problem in East Timor, despite the Legislature’s intentions to suppress violence against women and children by men by special legislation.
Why does domestic violence continue unabated? Where are the foreign donors supporting the government and civil society such as JSMP and Pradet? Donors boast of their contributions in money terms but does that funding translated into social transformation? It is clearly not enough.
In the case of domestic violence, incest, the sexual assault of children, infanticide, rape, unwed young mothers and discrimination and violence against gay East Timorese citizens and people with disability, international NGO’s sit silent. I have not seen any studies on incest and the sexual assault of children other than what JSMP has focused on in the Court reports.
Perhaps the government and the Legislature need to look away from any transplanted laws and find new ones that will trigger democratic social transformation by legislation enacted as the will of the people: the protection of the vulnerable.
Short description of the trial proceedings and decisions in these cases before the Oekusi District Court in February 2021. I have emphasised the words “domestic violence” wherever appearing. Eight of the fourteen cases involved domestic violence.
1. Civil case of divorce
Case Number : 0017/20.CVTDO
2. Crime of reciprocal offences against physical integrity
Case Number : 0122/20.OESIC
3. Crime of simple offences against physical integrity
Case Number : 0010/20.OEOSL
4. Crime of simple offences against physical integrity characterized as
domestic violence
Case Number : 0087/20.OESIC
5. Crime of simple offences against physical integrity characterized as
domestic violence
Case Number : 0127/19.OESIC
6. Civil case of divorce
Case Number : 0007/20.CVTDO
7. Crime of simple offences against physical integrity characterized as
domestic violence
Case Number : 0090/20.OESIC
8. Negligent offences against physical integrity
Case Number : 0021/19.OEOSL
9. Crime of simple offences against physical integrity characterized as
domestic violence
Case Number : 0037/19.OEBCN
10.Crime of simple offences against physical integrity characterized as
domestic violence
Case Number : 0112/20.OESIC
11.Crime of simple offences against physical integrity characterized as
domestic violence
Case Number : 0109/20.OESIC
12.Crime of driving without a license
Case Number : 0014/20.OESTR
13.Crime of simple offences against physical integrity characterized as
domestic violence
Case Number : 0025/19.OEBCN
14.Crime of simple offences against physical integrity characterized as
domestic violence
Case Number : 0190/19.OESIC
No comments:
Post a Comment