Project profile — Strengthening Justice for Women, Girls, and Indigenous Peoples in Guyana

This project seeks to deliver greater equality in access to justice for women and girls throughout Guyana, particularly empowering Indigenous women, and girls to be less vulnerable to violence. Project activities include: (1) training and coaching the Guyana Police Force in initial report taking using a trauma informed approach; (2) training police in the Sexual Offence Units on advanced sexual and gender-based violence interviewing and reporting; (3) training police, prosecutors and judiciary on gender bias and stereotypes for better delivery of gender-sensitive justice for women and girls who have been victims of sexual and gender-based violence; (4) training the police, prosecutors and judiciary on the use of forensic evidence and expert testimony in criminal cases; and (5) developing a training program on accessing and navigating the justice system directed at women and girls. The project directly benefits 12,000 women and girls living in remote, vulnerable communities, but it has an indirect impact on the lives of all women and girls who live in fear of sexual and gender-based violence in Guyana.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) strengthened human rights and gender-responsive capacity of justice institutions to address and respond to sexual and gender-based violence affecting women and girls in Guyana; and (2) increased access to quality and gender-responsive justice for Indigenous women and girls who are vulnerable to, or victim of, sexual and gender-based violence in Guyana.

Results achieved as of March 2025 include: (1) reached 1,372 persons from 67 Indigenous communities and trained 414 police officers, including top management of the Guyana Police force, and 81 prosecutors and legal officers from the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions; (2) trained 84 service providers, including 18 doctors and other health care providers, educators and care givers; (3) reached 3,092 indirect beneficiaries through community outreach to address sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and related issues; (4) supported 20 indigenous communities in Region 1 with community-based training courses; (5) delivered sessions on SGBV awareness and leadership capacity building to conduct SGBV screening and referrals, reaching 183 individuals; (6) recorded and disseminated 42 SGBV awareness messages focusing on educating the communities on SGBV, the law and where help can be accessed in local indigenous languages; (7) procured equipment, including 300 sexual assault evidence collection kits, for the police stations in Regions 1, 4, and 9 and Sexual Assault Units, aimed to strengthen their capacity to investigate SGBV reports; (8) developed SGBV training manuals with 3 Indigenous communities focusing on ensuring appropriate and relatable cultural and geographical references; and (9) trained 614 participants from a wide cross-section of agencies in gender and cultural sensitivity.