The Tribune

EQUALITY Bahamas is hosting a series of events as it observes International Women’s Day and facilitates civic participation in the building of the national gender machinery.

In a press release, the group said The Bahamas has yet to properly structure and resource the national gender machinery. As a result, Equality Bahamas is identifying and compiling existing tools to move The Bahamas toward gender equality.

“This month, we are building on our activities during the Global 16 Days Campaign, familiarising community members with the tools and practices that are critical to — and should be developed and promoted by the national gender machinery which is the Department of Gender and Family Affairs,” said Alicia Wallace, director of Equality Bahamas. “We raised awareness of international mechanisms and critical documents that remain in draft form or have been shelved for years. People are talking about proposals and calling for immediate implementation, but we need to increase understanding of their contents, recognition of their gaps, and participation in consultations to improve them.”

Equality Bahamas issued six demands during the Global 16 Days Campaign. They included the update and implementation of the National Strategic Plan to End Gender-based Violence, full compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), full compliance with Belém do Pará, and criminalisation of marital rape.

The events in March 2022 will familiarise participants with the named international mechanisms and documents and create opportunities for members of the public to engage experts and practitioners, ask questions, and make recommendations to improve draft documents and accelerate progress toward gender equality and a world free of violence.

“We reiterate our demand that the government meet its obligations to the people of The Bahamas. It needs to accelerate legislative reform, including the immediate criminalization of marital rape, calling it rape. Prioritise the protection and expansion of women’s human rights and address the specific needs of women, girls, and people in situations of vulnerability,” said Ms Wallace.

Upcoming Equality Bahamas events include an interactive workshop on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 with Aneesah Abdullah, Office of the United Nations resident coordinator and Allicia Rolle, SDG Unit, on March 9 at 6pm; a discussion on the Sexual Offences Act and proposed amendments to criminalise marital rape with Marion Bethel, CEDAW Committee member, on March 15 at 6pm, and a review of the draft gender policy with Gaynel Curry, human rights expert, on March 19 at 10am.

All registration links can be found at facebook.com/equality242.

In a separate statement, Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson, director of the Crisis Centre, noted the strides Bahamian women have made in observance of International Women’s Day 2022.

“We marvelled at the sight when following (the election) on September 16, 2021, the Parliament saw a record number of women elected to serve. Women now account for 17 percent of the 39 seats in the House of Assembly,” she said.

These women are on record pledging their support of women’s rights, gender equality, and the rights of the child and doing their part to continue to uplift and empower women throughout The Bahamas, Dr Patterson said.

“We also highlight the recent accomplishments of women in the region and the Americas - the Hon Mia Mottley who was the first woman of Barbados to be voted in as Prime Minister in 2018; and first Prime Minister as Barbados transitions into a Republic within the Commonwealth of Nations on November 30, 2021.

“And Kamala Harris who became the first woman elected to national office in the United States – as its Vice President during the November 2020 election. Again proving that women continue to break barriers in an ever-changing global village.”