The Tribune

By MORGAN ADDERLEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

madderley@tribunemedia.net

MORE than one in ten Bahamians have been the victim of a non-consensual sex act, according to the Ministry of Health’s recent STEPS survey.

Health Minister Duane Sands yesterday described this as a “disturbing number”.

The survey found 13.1 percent of Bahamians have “experienced a sex act against his/her will”. Of this number, 17.6 percent were women and 8.1 percent were men.

Regarding sexual health, the study also found 12.1 percent of Bahamians have had a sexually transmitted infection and 65 percent did not use a condom during their last intercourse.

It also reported men have twice the number of sexual partners compared with women for the same time period.

The survey, which assesses health habits and risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) was carried out in three components from January to April.

The survey polled 3,840 Bahamians, ages 18-69, from New Providence and six Family Islands.

Dr Sands revealed the findings in a press conference held yesterday.

“We are not in the practice of employing protective measures against pregnancy and (STIs),” Dr Sands said. “In the recent past, national data on STIs released by my ministry have made the social media and newspaper rounds.

“STEPS 2019 helps to validate or rationalise those numbers. STEPS 2019 revealed that 12.1 percent of the population has had an STI. Equally as important, 65 percent did not use a condom and 49 percent were not on the pill or shot during their last intercourse.

“For the first time also, STEPS shed light on the national prevalence of non-consensual sex acts,” Dr Sands said. “13.1 percent experienced a sex act against his/her will.”

Additional figures listed in the STEPS report found 17 was the “average age of sexual debut”.

However, 11.4 percent of Bahamians had sex before the age of 15. Of this figure, 15.5 percent were men and 7.5 percent were women.

“Men have double the number of sexual partners compared to women for the same time period,” the report continues.

The report also found 34.7 percent of people surveyed used a condom the last time they had sex and 9.4 percent had used some form of birth control.

Of the 12.1 percent of Bahamians who have had an STI, 10.7 percent were men and 13.3 percent were women.

Regarding the frequency of unprotected sex in the context of the prevalence of STIs in the nation, Dr Sands told reporters: “I believe that there is this belief that ‘it can’t happen to me’.

“Again, ‘the concern about HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies is not my concern’.

“But when you have, not the entire population, but a significant percentage of the population thinking that way, then clearly it is your concern. Particularly as you look at the prevalence of (STIs) and the unfortunate reality that The Bahamas has one of the highest, if not the highest rates of HIV outside of Sub-Saharan Africa.”

According to the “Global AIDS Monitoring Report: 2017”, released by the Bahamas Ministry of Health, at the end of 2015, 8,667 people were listed as living with HIV in The Bahamas.

“This means that roughly 1 in 50 persons in The Bahamas in 2015 was HIV positive”, the report says.

However, that same year 226 people were diagnosed with HIV -- a 43 percent drop from 2006, when 396 people were diagnosed.

Despite the drop, the Bahamas still ranks 17th in the world for HIV/AIDs adult prevalence rate, according to statistics by Index Mundi.

Dr Sands also addressed the troubling 13.1 per cent non-consensual sex statistics.

“Well, I think we want to know what is the reality and understand that there is this hidden secret about unwanted sexual advances, harassment, rape,” he said. “And to have individuals admit that the number is that high is a startling, striking reality.

“More than one in ten of us have had sex that was not consensual, been forced to have sex. That speaks to now, that is raw data. I wouldn’t say by whom, at what age. But certainly that is a very disturbing number.”

The 2018 year end statistics released by police in January this year showed there were 55 reported rapes in 2018, a six percent hike from 52 cases in 2017.

It was also reported there were 11 attempted rapes in 2018, the same as in 2017, and 113 cases of unlawful sexual intercourse compared to 146 in 2017.

However, in a press conference held last month, Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson noted crime in the first half of 2019 declined by 17 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Rape cases declined by 37 percent, attempted rape by 56 percent, unlawful sexual intercourse by 11 percent.

There have been 24 rape cases, four attempted rape cases and 63 unlawful sexual intercourse cases for the first half of the year.