Two former female wards of the Government Industrial School (GIS) have been granted a combined $210,000 in damages for breaches to their constitutional rights. Additionally, the section of the law under which they were charged and incarcerated for ‘wandering’ was struck down as unconstitutional.This was contained in a 37-page ruling delivered on Tuesday by High Court Justice Westmin James. The girls, identified only as A.B. and C.D. because they are minors, had filed an application in 2022 through their attorney seeking redress for a contravention of their fundamental rights and freedoms while in the State’s care at the juvenile reform school.“This case raises extremely important issues, namely whether the continued criminalisation of children and their detention pursuant to Section 14 (1) b of the Reformatory and Industrial Schools Act Cap 169 of the Laws of Barbados for the offence of ‘wandering’ is consistent with the Constitution of Barbados,” the judge stated.“It also concerns the question of whether the conditions of the claimants’ detention while in the care of the Government Industrial School is consistent with their rights under the Constitution,” Justice James pointed out.
