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Legal Expert for the Eastern Caribbean

12 August 2004

Commonwealth legal expert Dandyson Thompson

A Commonwealth legal expert is assisting the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) in reforming regional legislation on domestic violence and the family. The ECSC has jurisdiction in the nine member states of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

Dandyson Thompson took up the post of Legal Drafter, Family Law and Domestic Violence Legislation Reform (Eastern Caribbean), on 5 August 2004. He will be based at ECSC headquarters in St Lucia.

During the year-long project, Mr Thompson will conduct legal research for and provide advice to the management team of the Family Law Reform Project (FLRP). FLRP is aimed at overhauling the region's family law system to reflect principles set out in the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the UN Declaration on Violence Against Women. The ECSC is conducting this programme as part of its commitment to promote access to justice in the Eastern Caribbean region.

Justice Adrian Saunders, Acting Chief Justice of the ECSC, explained: "We are looking at harmonising our domestic laws to ensure compliance with our treaty obligations. What we are trying to do is to eradicate the inequalities that legislatively exist between men and women, to better ensure the protection of human rights of children and to protect women from domestic violence.

"We want to have a uniform policy of family law for the region that would replace the hotch-potch of legislation we have at present."

Mr Thompson's assignment -- organised by the Governance and Institutional Development Division (GIDD) of the Commonwealth Secretariat -- is aimed at restructuring procedural rules and legislation related to domestic violence and the family in OECS member states.

He will draft required model statutes, regulations and other instruments required to achieve the objectives; formulate options for a legal framework to achieve FLRP objectives; produce consultation papers; and generate consultative processes. He has been tasked to draft an updated and harmonised legislation model for all OECS member states.

OECS comprises Commonwealth member countries Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and the UK overseas territories of Anguilla, British Virgin Islands and Montserrat.

Mr Thompson completed his LLM in Legislative Drafting from the University of the West Indies, Barbados, with assistance from the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation. 

Dr RoseMarie-Rita Endeley, Senior Programme Officer at GIDD, said: "This project is a clear example of productive, cross-country co-operation within the Commonwealth. By providing valuable expertise in the area of legislative reform, Mr Dandyson will help Eastern Caribbean nations and territories update and streamline their legislation to the greater benefit of the entire region and communities.