The International Press Association (IPI) has recommended that Guyana adjust its criminal laws to remove all references of libel and defamation. In a report released last week, IPI also called on the Government to reform the laws to remove references of seditious libel. Currently, under the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, media workers and others can face three years in jail and fines for defamatory libel.From L: John Yearwood, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Alison Bethel-McKenzie and Scott Griffen at the Office of the Prime Minister (IPI Photo)IPI has been making the rounds to have countries adjust their laws. One of the issues that the body has problems with also is current obscene libel laws, where someone caught selling or publishing obscene matter, could face up to two years in prison.Based in Vienna,Alexander Mogilny Jersey, IPI is a global organisation with members in more than 120 countries. In April, several of its members conducted a three-day visit to Guyana to push for the laws to decriminalise defamation.IPI is contending that the threat of jail could affect the freedom of media workers.During the visit, IPI, together with its strategic partner, the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM), also visited Antigua and Barbuda, Suriname, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Cura?ao.“In nearly all cases, these laws have been left over from colonial powers, for which they served as a convenient tool for preserving authority and stamping out criticism,” the IPI said in its report.Currently,Cheap Jerseys From China, all 16 independent states in the Caribbean maintain some form of the defamation laws.The media body stressed that the prosecutions which have seen some journalists sentenced to prison, risk instilling self-censorship in the media and thereby depriving readers, viewers and listeners of information in the public interestAll is not wellAmong the team that met with the Opposition and Government in Guyana on the issues were Alison Bethel-McKenzie, IPI Executive Director; Bert Wilkinson, Executive member of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers in Guyana; John Yearwood, IPI Vice-Chair and Chairman of IPI’s North American Committee and World Editor of The Miami Herald,Wholesale Nike Air Max 97, and Scott Griffen,Wholesale Jerseys From China, IPI press freedom advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean.AFC’s Leader, Khemraj RamjattanIPI did not find any recent prosecutions of journalists under Guyana’s criminal defamation laws. However, there have been a number of civil suits filed by government officials against journalists. The Guyana Constitution (1980) does not contain explicit protection for the press. However, it does say: “Except with his own consent,Wholesale Adidas Hockey Jerseys, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of expression, that is to say, freedom to hold opinions without interference, freedom to receive ideas and information without interference, freedom to communicate ideas and information without interference and freedom from interference with his correspondence.”In a meeting with IPI delegates, Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall agreed that journalists “should not go to jail for practising their craft,” and pledged to prepare a memo on the issue for the country’s cabinet. Nandlall stated: “I cannot see the utility of having something in the law that is not used,” adding that no Guyanese journalist had been charged with criminal libel in recent times.Jail themThe report noted that the AG urged IPI to emphasise the importance of media ethics.“The media is one of the most powerful organisations in the world,” he noted, “and with that power comes a commensurate responsibility.” Nandlall stressed in particular that in Guyana, which he described as a “society with underlying tensions,” journalists must be aware of their context.Prime Minister Samuel Hinds was more explicit in his criticism of the media, asserting that the Guyanese independent press engages in “premeditated distortion” that “maximises the social problems in our society.”Hinds presented the IPI delegation with photocopies of an article from a leading newspaper whose headline he claimed contained a false statement about him and did not match exactly the article’s content. He implied that the original headline may have been changed in the editorial process to suit a particular political bias.IPI also met with Gail Teixeira, advisor on governance to President Donald Ramotar.Opposition Leader, David GrangerTeixeira informed IPI that while she could not make any specific promises, the government was “not opposed to changing it [criminal libel law].” Like other political figures, she welco

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By Javone VickerieWith its mission to stamp out violence against children in Guyana, The Child Care and Protection Agency will be looking at ways to get communities more involved as Child Protection Week 2013 begins tomorrow.Under the theme, “Joining Hands for Effective Child Protection Services” Director of the Child Care and Protection Agency Ann Greene said that the need for community involvement is crucial in the fight to protect children.“There is a notion that there is only one agency that protects children and when things happen people say I wonder what the child protection agency doing or I wonder what the ministry doing…effective child protection will take responsible families and communities working together,” Greene said.Ann GreeneGreene also believes that every person in society has a moral responsibility to protect children. “We only know of a child that is being abused if someone contacts us and how this thing going these days we might need a child protection officer for every street,Wholesale Jerseys Cheap,” the Director said.Greene said that engaging the community to get involved and having them understand that is it no longer ‘business as usual’ has become a herculean task for the agency “You hear something happening next door, things banging and people just shutting up the doors and locking the windows and ignoring it. You need to be your brother’s keeper,” Greene reiterated.She added that in order to fully stop domestic violence and violence against children, persons have to be more aware, responsible and report to the relevant authorities the abuse of any child.In the wake of last week’s event where a 14 month old- baby drowned in a trench just outside of his Sophia home, Greene said, “This is where communities can get involved. If one parent is going to a school to pick up a child where other children in the community attend why is it that we can’t volunteer everyday and pick all of them up and make sure they reach home?”.Corrective punishmentMost of us can attest to the fact that as children attending school or at home, once we did something deemed wrong, teachers or parents would correct us with a few or an abundance of lashes.Our ancestors believed that ‘heat’ on our skins prevented us from becoming ‘bad individuals’ in society just like the good book says “spare not the rod and spoil the child”.Greene on the other hand believes that “no child should be exposed to violence”,Air Max 97 Uk, adding that the social norm now is for parents to beat their children when they do something wrong. She is however adamant that “punishment should not hurt.”“Everybody say there were beaten as a child and they turned out great, my question to them is how do you know this? You might have been better if you were not beaten,” Greene said.The Director further stated that ‘beating’ creates a vicious cycle of violence,http://www.soccerpro.us.com/AC-Milan-FC/, noting that “Hurt people,Wholesale Adidas Hockey Jerseys, hurt people”, and discipline should not hurt.Greene also believes that corporal punishment represents the cultural mindset of society which has been passed down throughout the years. “We are finding new ways of disciplining children and that is what people need to understand; you don’t need to hurt them in order to discipline them,” Greene said.She further explained that since the whole issue of abuse in the home has risen considerably, the agency is providing counseling to parents who have issues in disciplining children.“If you look at our data, ‘hurt’ is in the home for a child and the home is proven to be unsafe for a child. This is the place where a child is supposed to feel safe and secure and the parent is the major perpetrator,” the Director lamented.Greene believes that more emphasis needs to be placed on educating parents on how to discipline their children. “Being a parent is the only job you don’t need qualifications”, Greene said.According to Greene, many young parents who visit the agency are not psychologically ready to be parents adding that the children of such parents are more vulnerable to abuse.Exploitation of children (Rent a baby) ?Have you ever taken a walk on the pavements of downtown Georgetown and seen children begging for money with their thumbs in their mouths, or were you ever stopped in the street by young children who ask for signatures and donations for a club or organization?According to Greene,NFL Jerseys From China, these children are being exploited.“When you give children money on the road, you are taking part in the exploitation of children. No one should give any child money and I want to send that message to persons out there,” Greene said.She gave the example of a young man who begged on the stre