The Tribune

AN activist group has called on visitors to the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival to treat women with respect – and has criticised comments from certain sections of the community for putting the onus on women to avoid the risk of sexual violence.

Hollaback! Bahamas Director Alicia Wallace pointed to earlier comments by Rev Ranford Patterson, president of the Christian Council, who has suggested that the three-day event would lead to rape, incest and other “sins of the flesh”.

“Women are not consumer goods,” she said. “To speak of us like items in a showcase is to reduce us to our bodies, ignoring our humanity. Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, in combination with rampant misogyny and the patriarchal society in the Bahamas, can put us in a dangerous situation. When women are not regarded as human beings with human rights, viewed as sexual objects, sexual violence is possible.”

She added: “We, at Hollaback! Bahamas, find it deeply disturbing that the onus is continually put on women to avoid sexual violence, and we are blamed for crimes against us. Even the Royal Bahamas Police Force releases statements which, in essence, are lists of instructions for women who wish to avoid being raped.”

The group urged law enforcement, political leaders, and NGOs to tackle the issues plaguing the country at their root, and send clear messages to men – the perpetrators of rape in most cases. The group also pledged to support women who take to the streets in celebration of their right to dance and dress without fear or judgment.

The group emphasised that touching without consent is not okay – and that predators might take advantage of packed crowds to sexually assault others.

Ms Wallace said: “Lewd comments, groping and stalking are examples of sexual violence. If you want to make a stranger feel good, respect them. Ask for permission before physically interacting.”

Hollaback! Bahamas urged people to back off if a person feels uncomfortable and called on bystanders to help, saying: “If you see something, say something.”