Legislators passed new domestic violence legislation during Tuesday’s House of Assembly sitting.
The territory saw its first such legislation in 1996 — a law that “has served well,” but that has also shown its weaknesses in the 15 intervening years, said Health and Social Development Minister Dancia Penn as she started off the HOA’s debate on the Domestic Violence Act on Tuesday.
The times have changed, and so has the understanding of domestic violence. International groups like the United Nations have updated their definition of domestic abuse to include violence toward children, emotional abuse, economic deprivation, and complex modern families that may or may not include marriage or even cohabitation.
The Domestic Violence Act addresses those issues and more, Ms. Penn said.
See the Sept. 8, 2011 edition for full coverage.