Living together in St Vincent and Grenadines

There is no single national office for living together in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Responsibilities are distributed among the Local Government Division, the Ministry of Urban Development and Local Government, the Ministry of Family and Gender Affairs, the Ministry of Persons with Disabilities and Labour, the Environmental Health Division, the police, the courts, planning authorities and community organisations. District Councils, Town Boards, Village Councils and Special Services are local public bodies that support community administration and public facilities. Examples include the Kingstown Town Board, Town Boards in Barrouallie, Calliaqua, Chateaubelair, Georgetown and Layou, Village Councils in Marriaqua and Troumaca, and Special Services in West St. George, North Windward, North Leeward and Canouan. Local responsibilities can include minor roads, drains, footpaths, cemeteries, community markets, public baths, washing facilities, garbage collection, sanitation and other public areas. The Environmental Health Services Act treats parks, cemeteries, public beaches, markets, streets, highways, roads, bridges, wharves, piers, jetties and lanes as public places. Environmental Health Officers address nuisances and insanitary conditions, including refuse, wastewater, disease vectors, smoke, odour, excessive noise and poor beach cleanliness. Owners and occupiers also have waste and sanitation duties under the applicable rules. Local services are generally state-supported, and no general user fee is established for these services. The Constitution protects freedom of conscience and religion, expression, assembly, association and movement. It also includes protection against discrimination on grounds including sex, race, place of origin, political opinions, colour and creed. The Public Order Act regulates public meetings and protests and provides for police enforcement. The Public Order (Amendment) Act 2024 prohibits intoxicating liquor in a funeral procession or on a public cemetery; a sealed container is exempt, and the police have related arrest, confiscation and fine powers. There is no nationally uniform house or neighbourhood code established for all communities. A local problem therefore needs to be directed to the body responsible for the relevant place or conduct. A Justice of the Peace is a local volunteer who can provide accessible, free assistance by appointment, including a functionally low-level way to seek help with a dispute or obtain confirmation. Family Court Social Support offers walk-in counselling and mediation mainly for maintenance, domestic violence, custody, access and juvenile or family matters, generally Monday to Friday around 8:00 to 16:00. Police, Family Services, the court system and non-governmental organisations provide more formal support when the matter involves safety, family proceedings or a legal violation. The Ministry of Family and Gender Affairs supports family well-being and gender equity. Family Services Division provides counselling across the country, disability assistance, elderly and home-help support, accessibility advocacy and assistance for abused or poor people. Accessibility work can include ramps, accessible parking and rails. Documented training on sexual orientation and gender identity has involved police, educators, social workers and health providers; this supports non-discriminatory service delivery but does not create constitutional protection grounds beyond those recognised by law. Community organisations, churches, sports clubs, youth groups and community centres are significant local channels for participation. GYVE supports youth civic activity, volunteering and community improvement through project calls and forms, with attention to low-income groups, geographic balance and gender sensitivity. The Public Management and Advisory Committee for Youth supports consultation across communities and youth input into policy and decision-making. The Church Sector Committee links government, youth and church actors in cohesion and community development. Participation fees for these programmes are not established in the available local information. Public participation also occurs through planning procedures. The Physical Planning Unit and Physical Planning and Development Board make planning applications available for public inspection. Written representations generally have to be submitted within 14 days after the notice. A Gazette notice may specify inspection times such as Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 16:15. National physical-development planning has also included consultation on community facilities, pocket parks, nursery and day-care facilities, halls, churches, community centres, open spaces and emergency shelters. A planning document guides or proposes development; it does not by itself create a general right to use a facility. Shared housing is primarily a housing matter rather than a separate living-together system in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Environmental Health authorities may become relevant when sanitation, nuisance, overcrowding or health conditions affect people or a public place, but no dedicated co-living procedure or institution has been established. Digital coexistence is similarly distributed. The Cybercrime Act 2016 addresses illegal access and interception, data interference, identity and fraud offences, privacy violations, child sexual material, harassment using electronic communication, spam and spoofing. The Electronic Transactions Act 2015 provides a legal framework for electronic transactions rather than a general social-behaviour portal. CARDTP works on data protection and privacy, cybersecurity and digital skills, including child-focused Swipe Safe activities and Safe Her Online initiatives addressing digital gender-based violence. A comprehensive national data-protection regime and a dedicated online living-together ombudsperson are not clearly established in the available local framework.