The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder says his ministry has complied “a suite of legislation” to meet the country’s international human rights obligations, which includes laws addressing gender-based violence and marital rape.

His comment came after participants in a National Gender-Based Violence Discriminatory Law Review Forum recommended several legislative changes, including the criminalisation of marital rape as well as the legalisation of abortion.

Contents of the report were published by a local daily earlier this week.

Responding to the report yesterday, Mr Pinder told reporters some of the recommendations were not new and even fell in line with several international commitments made by the former administration that were never fulfilled.

However, he said it was now the Davis administration’s intention to live up to those promises where the previous administration had failed.

“These issues factor into commitments that the government of The Bahamas has, as far back from 2018, have made to the United Nations and other multilateral institutions about legislative matters and other commitments in respect to human rights matters and in preparation to go before the United Nations Rights Council which is scheduled for February 2023 and there were a series of recommendations that we’re committed to,” Mr Pinder said before going to a Cabinet meeting yesterday.

“Unfortunately, from 2018 to the end of the administration prior, none of those commitments were followed through on. These were commitments of a government that were made to the United Nations and other governments and so what we have done is we have compiled a list and analysis of a suite of legislation that is going to be required to meet our obligations on human rights matters.”

Mr Pinder said his ministry is now planning to provide Cabinet ministers with tutorials and informational sessions this week so all can become familiarised with the proposed compendium of laws.

The minister said once those sessions have been completed, he will then introduce the proposed legislative pieces to Cabinet who will then decide on what it will move forward with.

“It’s rather all encompassing, really broad based and we anticipate giving some tutorials to Cabinet ministers or informational sessions starting as early as this week,” Mr Pinder said. “We have prepared the Cabinet paper and we have prepared presentation slides and certainly after Cabinet, the public will be advised and consulted on these matters.”

This comes amid continued discussion in the country about marital rape and gender-based violence, with some urging the government to do more to protect women and those most vulnerable in society.

Yesterday, Mr Pinder said not only will the issue of marital rape be addressed in the suite of legislation, but also matters relating to citizenship, asylum and good governance.

“Involved in that suite of legislation are a number of things, some of it has to do for instance, immigration matters to create equality of men and women pursuant to the constitutional reforms that failed,” he added.

“Others have to do with matters of good governance (like) the Freedom of Information Act, and then others have to do with gender-based violence matters and within that suite of recommended legislation are matters related to gender-based violence and matters related to marital rape and matters related to juvenile offences for example.

“So, it is involved in all encompassing suite of legislation which is a human right legislative agenda that has been formulated so this is now ready to go and to inform Cabinet members so you could imagine it’s probably a suite of 20 to 25 different amendments or new pieces of legislation so it’s rather large and so we look to have informational sessions with the Cabinet and hopefully bring it to Cabinet within the next week or two to get guidance on what to go forward with.”

Asked yesterday if the legislation will speak to the criminalisation of marital rape, Mr Pinder replied: “Yes.”

“It’s safe to say the Davis administration (is) looking at all of our international human rights obligations — that is one of them with a mind to becoming compliant with UN requirements.”