FAMILY PROTECTION ACT TO BE LAUNCHED

The Family Protection Act in its Bill form. Photo credit: SIBC.

The Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs has announced the ‘Family Protection Act 2014’ will be launched this Friday.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs, Ethel Sigimanu says the Act provides mechanism to stop domestic violence in family.

“It really protects a family victim in the domestic sphere or what we call the private sphere. What we often see or say it’s private business, is no longer a private business. It’s a bsuiness of the Government, it’s a business of the State, it’s everybody’s business. It’s no longer a business between the wife or the husband or the two partners.”

The penalty for committing domestic violence is $30,000 fine, three year imprisonment or both.

The Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs and the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs are key developers of the Act.