The Tribune

OVER the past few days, we have been talking about the death of yet another woman who was a victim of domestic violence. Carissa Culmer, mother of a two-year-old child, was 25 years old at the time of her death — an alleged suicide. She tried to get help, and had used Facebook to share her experience on numerous occasions. She was invited to the Senate to raise awareness of domestic violence, and she did. Still, she did not receive the help she needed — the help that could possibly have saved her life.

We have seen so many stories, heard so many names, and expressed outrage so many times that it can feel like a broken record. Someone dies. We learn their names and some of the details of their lives. We acknowledge their deaths as loss. We find ways to emphasise the size of the loss, from age and motherhood to hopes and dreams. We promise prayers to their loved ones, and hope that they find ways to carry on. We, for a few days, call for action. Then, as we always do, we move on to other things. Our work, personal tasks, celebrations, and other news stories get our attention, and we almost forget about those names and faces until the next one pops up on our screens.

The outrage is not only short-lived, but unproductive. It is not moving us forward. Sadness has not been a motivator. Grief in response to our current state has not prompted action. Expressions to families, apologies to victims, and promises to do something are useless. We need action.

To the Members of Parliament, Cabinet Ministers, and Senators, you should have acted a long time ago. Those who came before you should have acted. The next best time to act is now. This is not a time to make emotional speeches, brag about what you imagine you have already done, or mention drafts that are still not ready to be tabled.

Now is the next best time to familiarise yourselves with the obligations The Bahamas has to its people and the commitments it has made through its ratification of numerous international mechanisms. Begin with CEDAW, ratified in 1993. Get familiar with Belém do Pará. Engage the Bahamian women and women from the Caribbean who participated in the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing. Listen to their stories of study, research, and advocacy toward the Beijing Platform for Action. Read the reports from treaty bodies on The Bahamas’(lack of) progress toward meeting its obligations and ending violence against women.

We have human rights experts, gender experts, and researchers, in The Bahamas, throughout the region, and all over the world who are ready to support legal reform. They know the law, they know the experiences of survivors, they know the countries that have had success in similar legal reform processes, and they know the gaps in protection, provision of resources and services, and justice. Listen to the recommendations made by these people, and those put forward by multilateral organisations.

There is no need to start from scratch or do it all on your own. The ground work has, in many cases, been done. Unfortunately, much of it was done so long ago that there is a need for updates and improvements based on new information and standards. Start with what we have, including draft documents and human resources. This is not difficult. It only requires that you care. You have to care as much about people’s lives, the protection of women, and the expansion of women’s rights as you care about the way you are perceived. You have to value human rights and the lives of women more than you value your career in frontline politics. If you care as much as you would like us to believe, build on the work that has already been done. Engage experts and practitioners to update documents and incorporate the recommendations that prioritise people’s lives and ending gender-based violence.

When the drafts are updated, improved, and ready, we do not need you to congratulate yourselves. We do not need more space on the shelf for them to sit. We need you to do one important thing. Take them to the House.

Based on your conversations with your colleagues, you know how much more you need to do. You know whether or not they are on board. You know who cares about these issues, and you know who is less likely to support. You know who is unsure. You and your right-thinking colleagues have work to do there. Talk to those colleagues. Tell them why this is important. Help them to understand the critical nature of this process and the need for their support. If you cannot get them to care, at least get them to act the way we need them to act. Secure their votes.

You, who say you are saddened by the femicide we have seen for years, and that has been amplified in the media in recent months, must get the support of your colleagues. Spend less time telling us what you want to do, and spend more time working with your colleagues to get it done.

To the media, ask better questions. Get specific. When you hear empty statements, dig deeper. When politicians promise to take action, ask them to specify the action and give a timeline. Ask them who stands with them. Ask them who they are working with to ensure that the actions they refer to are the best ones to take. Give the public more in your reporting. “We will make it better!” does very little for us. How? With what actions? With which people? When? These are the people with decision-making power, and they must not get away with vague promises, over and over again.

To members of the public, express your distress. Make it clear to your representatives that you are watching them. Tell them that you are more concerned about their actions than you are persuaded by their words. Write to them. Send emails. Drop off hard copies to their constituency offices (if they are ever open). Send messages to their social media pages. Make posted on social media to call them to action, and tag their pages in those posts. Remind them of their jobs. Tell them that you expect them to do those jobs, and that includes getting their colleagues to take action to end gender-based violence. Tell them that you need a response. Let them know that you need to know whether or not they will do what you have demanded, and immediately. There is no time to sit and wait. There is no confidence that they will act on their own. We, the people of The Bahamas, have to apply pressure. The political will is obviously not there. It’s time for us to build it ourselves.

Carissa Culmer is the name we remember and say this week. Which other names do you still remember? Whose families do you still think about? Which children, left behind, are on your mind now? Have you ever suffered a loss that was forgotten too soon? Have you ever waited for solutions, knowing they could no longer help your loved one, but could prevent similar stories from appearing in your newsfeed? Will you do anything today?

Remember that gender-based violence in The Bahamas is a public health crisis, and our response cannot simply be more shelters. It must include financial resources, an efficient justice system, and ongoing psychosocial support. Know that this is about more than legislation. The people who are serious about saving and improving lives are also talking about implementation.

What will you do? How will you do it? Who is on your team? How will you get more people on your team? These are the questions that need to be asked of the politicians making statements of sympathy and promises. They need to be pressed to give us more. No words should impress us. We need action. Carissa Culmer is the person we think of this week. There were many before her. Try not to forget.