The Tribune

IT IS Domestic Violence Awareness Month and, story after story, our attention is drawn to the broader issue of the gender-based violence we are failing to address.

The murder of Alicia Sawyer and her daughter is still fresh in the minds of many. On Monday, it was reported that a radio personality is being stalked and not receiving enough support from the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF). There are two major issues here - gender-based violence and inadequate responses to it and reliance on the RBPF which is not sufficiently connected and in collaboration with other governmental and non-governmental bodies.

Conversations about abolishing the police and defunding the police - two separate proposals - in the US continue, largely driven by the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the murder of black people by police. Most of the people opposed to defunding or abolishing the police have not read or talked to people about what these terms mean.

Defunding the police is not about getting rid of the police, but about reallocating money and prioritising other services and resources. This is the approach, not only because policing systems are racist and corrupt, but because they fail to meet the needs of the people. More money needs to be allocated to housing, education, social services, food security and other areas that affect people’s daily lives and their ability to meet their own needs.

It is also clear that people have learned to look to the police to solve problems the police are not trained to handle, while other people are equipped to do so.

In sharing her story, the radio personality stated police spoke to the man who had been stalking her months, suggested she have him bound over to keep the peace, and said they could not do anything else because the stalker did not commit a crime. Police exist to enforce laws. Where laws are insufficient, police are also insufficient. A crime should not have to be committed for the police to take action to protect a person’s life. The police are failing to protect this woman.

A few weeks ago, police failed to protect Alicia Sawyer who also called on them for assistance. After the murder of Sawyer and her eight-year-old daughter Asria Ednique Wallace, the Commissioner of Police was asked whether or not an officer could have been stationed at their home to protect them.

He said: “In hindsight, there’s a lot of things that we could say could have been done. We have to learn from this incident.”

Gender-based violence is, far too often, a “learning” opportunity. If the RBPF learned from the murder of Sawyer and Wallace, it should be focused more on prevention and taking steps to protect the woman who has reported a stalker.

Being stalked is a terrifying experience. Boundaries are crossed and the personal experiencing it feels exposed and unsafe at all times. There is no telling when they may run into the person or what they may do. There is little that is more limiting than fear. The added frustration of having no access to justice can make it feel like a losing battle. Many women are left feeling like we have to protect ourselves from threats known and unknown because there are no systems to support us.

Far too many women can tell stories about being turned away from police stations, told to “go make up with [their husbands]” when they tried to report domestic violence.

Similarly, LGBTQ+ people have stories of being ridiculed and lambasted by police when trying to report acts of violence against them.

In these cases, crimes were committed, but individual officers decided they were not worth a response.

They decided that the people calling or entering the police station needed to handle the crimes themselves, suggesting that they were at fault. When this is the response to crime, it is not surprise that police — law enforcement officers — are either incapable or unwilling to deal with matters that are not specifically named in the law. Who, then, should we call upon to deal with these matters?

When unhoused people are locked up or given fines for breaking curfew, it is a clear indication of the lack of critical thinking and inter-department or inter-agency cooperation because the priority should be providing safe housing for those people and the Department of Social Services should be contacted for guidance. The issue is the same with the handling of the men who were trying to get water from a public pump and numerous people leaving their homes to get food.

The police are not equipped to handle these situations. No number of COVID-19 vehicles give police officers the tools they need to make sound decisions that prioritise the well-being of the people they are supposed to serve. These are situations that lead people to call for defunding of police. We would be better off with proper housing and employment.

On the issue of gender-based violence, we need more comprehensive law, a specific unit within RBPF focused on the issue, regular sensitivity training of all police officers, and integration with other departments, agencies, and organisations including Social Services and NGOs providing resources and services.

Equality Bahamas is working on a policy brief specific to the national response to gender-based violence and invites members of the public to contribute to it.

The next Women’s Wednesdays session, scheduled to be held on November 4 at 6pm, will focus on building a community-driven document. The registration link is live and available on the Equality Bahamas Facebook page. It is critical that people — specifically those that are experiencing and have experienced gender-based violence — participate in the process to ensure that the outcome meets their particular needs.

Contributions can also be sent via email to equalitybahamas@gmail.com. We, as a community, need to determine how we will show up and exactly what we will do.

SALVATION LIES IN THINKING OUTSIDE THE CHOCOLATE BOX

Many businesses and self-employed people are being forced to pivot and be more creative to earn revenue comparable with last year.

In a recent conversation, a friend in another country in the region mentioned that her relative was a chef, but the restaurant he worked at had closed. They spent time thinking about his options. They found that thinking too broadly was causing them to get stuck, so they focused on finding a niche.

Her relative is now running a small business, preparing meals for people with dietary restrictions due to diabetes. He soon had to hire someone to assist with deliveries. By creating a job for himself that fills a need, he ended up creating a job for someone else and there may be more growth to come.

In The Bahamas, more and more people are operating food businesses from their homes. Most of them are simple - like wings, banana bread, and cookies - and result in quick, easy sales from people they know, slowly spreading to those people’s circles as well. Some have used the extra time on their hands to learn new skills, turning them into small businesses.

Last month, 92-year-old Bahamian favourite Mortimer’s Candies announced it has been struggling to keep its doors open since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. The business is now depending entirely on local customers.

Forty percent of the candy business was directly linked to tourism and with no visitors and so many other business closed or employees working from home, there is a fraction of the normal foot traffic.

No one wants to see Mortimer’s close its doors. While we may not by ourself be able to consume enough snow cones, popcorn, peanut brittle and mints to keep the business going, we can treat others to a little sugar rush.

Mortimer’s wants to treat the children in some of the children’s homes to Halloween treats so it has launched the “Spooky & Sweet” campaign.

Drop in during business hours to make a cash payment or visit mortimercandies.com to use a debit or credit card. The business has listed the homes and programmes it is including in this initiative, and it would be great to give children a treat in a year that has felt like one big trick for all of us.