The Tribune

By LETRE SWEETING

lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

WOMEN United has rejected press secretary Clint Watson’s apology saying that alone it was not enough as it failed to identify the female contributors to the national dialogue who he recklessly marginalised.

Despite the apology, the advocacy group said that through Mr Watson’s carelessness by making the statement, from the Office of the Prime Minister, he invalidated and damaged decades of effort by women from all walks of life to bring about change.

Their statement followed a meeting with Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and comes in the aftermath of comments by Mr Watson that advocacy groups had been “quiet” on marital rape.

The meeting on Tuesday night saw the attendance of not only Women United, but Women of Strength Association, Bahamas Urban Youth Development Centre, Everyone Counts Organisation, Women Investments Group, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and Erin Brown Connects.

“We discussed comments made last week by press secretary Clint Watson concerning their advocacy around the issue of marital rape,” Mr Davis said in a statement yesterday. “They understood and accepted that those comments were made in error. By the time of the meeting, the press secretary had already issued a full apology.

“He was misinformed about the extent of the consultation and has set the record straight. The Attorney General has been clear that women’s groups have played an important role during the consultations, and we are grateful for their engagement.

“Marital rape is an issue that The Bahamas has been grappling with for a long time. The work to build progress on this issue and on other difficult issues requires all of society to engage in continued consultation and dialogue.”

In a press statement before Mr Davis’ comments, Women United said that Mr Watson’s apology issued on Tuesday night was “not enough”.

“In keeping with the call to action provoked by Mr Watson and the energy within the organisations that we have had contact with we hereby renew our demand that the Davis administration immediately move to revise the Sexual Offences Act to reflect that all rape is a criminal act.”

Women United said yesterday that Mr Watson’s comments were “not just insulting it was, as he has admitted, ‘inaccurate’.”

The statement read: “He invalidated and damaged decades of effort by women from all walks of life to bring about this change. Therefore, his apology alone is not enough as it fails to identify the female contributors to the national dialogue that he recklessly marginalised.”

Last Friday, Mr Watson made negative statements about the advocacy of women’s groups on the issue of marital rape.

He said: “A lot of the groups are quiet. A lot of the activist groups and the groups that protect women, where are your voices?”

The following Tuesday, Mr Watson was forced to backtrack on these comments after immense backlash, offering an apology for his saying that he “should have been more aware of their active involvement in the consultation process”.

According to Women United, no administration since 1993 has valued the side of women on the issue of marital rape.

In 1993, The Bahamas ratified the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). These efforts came about as a result of leading Bahamian women, including, Dame Janet Bostwick, Allyson Maynard-Gibson, Loretta Butler-Turner, Marion Bethel and Sandra Dean-Patterson.

Recently, Women United said some women and organisations who have called for legislative reform in The Bahamas include the Crisis Centre, Prodesta Moore of BUYDC and Women United, Alicia Wallace from Equality Bahamas, Shervonn Hollis of 242 Domestic Violence Support Network, Cindy Godet, Khandi Gibson of FOAM, Marissa Mason- Smith of Zonta, Charlene Paul of CIWiL, other officials, along with many other women activists and advocacy groups.