MINISTER of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, says amendments to the Domestic Violence Act will be her top legislative priority, as she enters what she has confirmed to be her final term in office.

Grange, who has long been a champion for gender equality, equity, and the protection of vulnerable groups, said she is determined to complete unfinished work before she leaves public service. She emphasised that changes to the Act are crucial to ensuring more effective protection for survivors and holding perpetrators accountable.

“We were at the stage in Parliament where a Joint Select Committee was set up to review the Act in totality and look at either repealing the existing one or overhauling it and coming up with legislation that was more relevant and more impactful,” she said.

Grange explained that now that Parliament has reconvened, she will ensure that the amendments are made top priority.

“We will have the Joint Select Committee reestablished as quickly as possible. And we’ll proceed to have those meetings and to have the new Act in place expeditiously,” said Grange

The first meeting of the Joint Select Committee of Parliament appointed to review and amend the Domestic Violence Act officially commenced last March, where Grange announced that the reviewed Act would feature an expanded range of prohibited conduct, including greater penalties against perpetrators.

On that occasion, she also passionately described the committee’s purpose as “the unwavering commitment of the government of Jamaica to tackle head-on the vexing nature of domestic violence, and, by extension, all forms of gender-based-violence.”

Pledging her commitment to the cause of providing victims with greater protective legislation, Grange reflected on the progress made under her leadership, citing the successful passage of the Sexual Harassment Act.

“We were able to complete the sexual harassment legislation, have it passed, the tribunal has been set up, and the tribunal has been meeting. And that is on stream, which to me was one of the most important pieces of legislation to have been introduced and that was done in the last term,” she said.

The minister’s renewed focus comes as domestic violence, gender-based-violence, and instances of femicide are still at an all-time high in Jamaica, which has caused many to call for strengthened penalties for offenders, and an expansion of support services for victims.

Furthermore, according to a 2023 report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Jamaica had a high prevalence of domestic violence with nearly one in three Jamaican women (28 per cent) experiencing physical or sexual violence in her lifetime.

Grange affirmed that she is determined to have her legacy be reflective of her passion to pass legislation that benefits Jamaica’s most vulnerable.

“The Domestic Violence Act is now on our radar as number one priority…I’m hoping to complete most of the unfinished work, initiate some very critical and strategic programmes, projects and actions, so that when I leave, I would have set a foundation that will have a tremendous impact on the lives of Jamaicans,” she said.