PM: Wives raped by husbands should call police

PRIME Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis.

As of Thursday, October 13, 2022

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis has told both married and single women to report matters of abuse to the police in the face of a new University of The Bahamas study that explored the prevalence of spousal rape and assaults within marriages.

The study found that one in 12 or an estimated 4,000 married women have been raped by their husbands. The study suggested that around 6,000 wives claimed being victims of sexual abuse.

Overall, married women were more likely to be sexually abused than a single woman by an intimate partner, researchers found.

The findings were condemned yesterday by Human Rights Bahamas’ secretary general Paco Nunez.

In the face of the study’s results, Mr Davis was asked yesterday what he would say to Bahamian women in the country.

“What I say to any woman married or not, if they are aggrieved by being assaulted violently by anyone, they should report it to the police,” the prime minister said on the sidelines of the opening of an exhibition at Pompey Square yesterday.

“The law takes into account the separation of persons who would have had a marriage and any assault on a woman be it whether you call it rape, grievous harm or otherwise the law should take its course.

“Report those incidents to the police.”

For his part, Mr Nunez said the report’s findings were not at all surprising in a country that continues to refuse to promote women’s rights and recognise gender equality.

He said: “It is unconscionable, outrageous and utterly barbaric that at least one in 12 married women in The Bahamas have been raped by their husband, and that even more report being the victim of some other kind of sexual abuse.

“Even worse, as the UB researchers acknowledge, the numbers may only represent the tip of the iceberg; it is well documented that only a fraction of sexual assaults are ever reported, and there is no reason to assume this would not be the same for marital rape.

“In fact, victim silence may be even more likely within a marriage, in the face of a callous society that has already turned its back in two referenda, and a husband who has shown he is willing to commit legally-sanctioned assault, and can do so with impunity.

“We are to be condemned as a society for failing to protect thousands of vulnerable women, and for allowing the sacred institution of marriage to be corrupted by aggressive, predatory behaviour. It is our hope that this new study will finally hold up a mirror to society and force Bahamians to see clearly on this issue.”

He said surely, those who have vocally defended the status quo will now feel sufficiently ashamed to either change their stance or keep silent.

“If they are not yet ashamed, they are well and truly shameless.

“Human Rights Bahamas once again applauds the Davis administration for committing to bring an end to this nightmare once and for all. We urge them to move swiftly to prevent thousands more women from being harmed, traumatised and broken in this way.

“It is time for us to accept that all women – and also many men who find themselves trapped in unhealthy marriages – need, deserve and should be entitled to protection under the law.”

Between mid-September and mid-October of this year, some students at the university collected data from 1,700 women. Of this number, 455 were married and were asked about their experiences of rape and sexual abuse in their current relationships.

The study sought to quantify the extent of the issue against the backdrop that there has been increased outcry for the criminalisation of rape within marriage since the offence does not exist in Bahamian law.

The study comes as the government has said it intends to criminalise spousal sexual abuse. The proposed Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act was last month presented during the Ministry of Social Services and Department of Gender and Family Affairs’ sexual offences legislation one day symposium. The draft amendment to the Sexual Offences Act seeks to criminalise marital rape and redefine what consent is.

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bahamianson 2 years ago

Wow, that is like saying , if you see illegal immigrants, call the police.

birdiestrachan 2 years ago

What about the children when their fathers are bought before the courts this is not a simple matter , they should all go their seperate way before it comes to this is this something new or is it people seeking the limelight and what are they prepared to do for these women beside being in the news media

carltonr61 2 years ago

As in Jaws. "I think we need a bigger boat."

carltonr61 2 years ago

We will follow the path of the Westernized rules and values just mothers at work all day with kids, and we complaining about crime and tourism. Jail full of fatherless boys who call the gun daddy. No wonder all Police will now have daddy on their sides like in the USA. We now need to legalize handguns and sell them at Super Value.

carltonr61 2 years ago

Child divorce from parents next. One World Order G7 Laws along with the secondary role of God and religion to its laws.

Lil242 2 years ago

Lol, the UN along all these Human Rights Organizations will soon want all men on the planet to wear skirts in public like the King of England do, I refuse to bow. 'I have no King". Marital rape, child maintenances, spousal maintenances; all these are weapons used by women to destroy men in court. Family courts are bias towards men. No one in their right mind signs a contract with another party that is rewarded for breaking the contract. Whatever happened to issues such as; substance abuse, prostate cancer, homelessness, industrial accidents, mental illness amongst men. "Shut up an take it your a man they say"! No one cares. Passport Bro for life! Cant play in we Bahama Land backyard anymore its to risky and requires too much lawyer money; an time in the police station. I will not buy/ marry a modern feminist cow and I can get the milk for free thanks to feminism, give me all the traditional foreign cows.

carltonr61 2 years ago

I guess the details will be signed in church. Rape equals automatic jail. There is something that leads to a marriage outside church here like a civil contract. The non involvement in teachers in education was also a test to get rid of human teachers, bankers Priests, husbands and transvestites get all the privileges.

mandela 2 years ago

There is no law that states a wife should stay in an abusive marriage. If your husband or boyfriend or anyone (as a matter of fact) is abusing you move out and call the police. There is no reason to stay in an abusive relationship.

tribanon 2 years ago

Easier said than done and you're obviously totally ignorant of the many reasons why that it is so.

John 2 years ago

This ‘survey’ ( my foot!)!was instigated by non-submissive women who betrayed the marriage wows long before now, and defiled their marriage bed. Conducted by a sexual deviant, who exploited the students if UB and took advantage of their inexpensive and innocence to do the devils work. The survey bears the name of The University if the Bahamas, to gain credibility but clearly it needs its place in the sewer along with the persons who instigated it. The intent is to destroy the institution of marriage and the sanctity of marriage with obviously false and bogus data. Look at some other f the other stats the survey claims to reveal: the survey involved 1,700 women, of which 455 were married. Which means of the sample population basically one in every five woman were married. Four were single or otherwise engaged besides being married. Is the sample a true representation of the Bahamian female population or was it taken at the Fish Fry or a Family Island Regatta, where most of the women there were the women there were the ‘single, party type’, drinking Kalik and eating conch salad? How many church members were in the sample. Women that take their marriage wows seriously and will not betray their marriage or prostitute their responses. How many respondents were from the family islands? How many in the sample were still with their husbands? How many were estranged or separated or even in divorce proceedings? Do the survey results correspond with divorce data that shows how many marriages were terminated due to shall we say ‘ cruelty?’ Were the wives of alleged rape in a marriage with a husband that involved sexual relations or had any partner been withholding and for how long? Did the type is sex ( they are now calling rape and abuse occur before the marriage and how often? Are both parties committed to the marriage or had their been on infidelity from either or both partners? Are the spouses claiming rape and sexual abuse still in a relationship. Are they willing to separate or seek a divorce. If a marital rape law is enacted, are they willing to bring criminal charges against their spouse ? And since l, in this instance, since it was the wives that were interviewed, is it safe to conclude that if a marital rape law is passed, at least one in every twelve men married and living in The Bahamas faces the possibility of going to jail for rape and/or sexual abuse during the course of his marriage. Don’t forget to say goodbye to your children.

ohdrap4 2 years ago

The study found that one in 12 or an estimated 4,000

Can this newspaper stop calling this a study?

It was poll, survey. No different from the poll you tick at the Tribune.

carltonr61 2 years ago

We have yet to see if the questions were loaded with prejudicial hatreds of men. No peer-reviewed criticisms by government statisticians, Police, councilors. Age group religion, male, female, trans, divorced, single. Was it funded by UB, UN, Crises Center, courts WHO GAINS FROM THIS SLIDE OF DETAIL AND FACTS? I am ORCiD. UB Should the least have the Australians in town teach them a professional lesson or two. UB produced an opinion piece, buts it's masters are laughing at this academic total toilet paper.

Topdude 2 years ago

The PM, as usual, is not thinking through his responses carefully. One unintended consequence of his naive recommendation is the promotion of men having an outside woman who is always happy to have sex with her man. Or, additionally, the PM is certainly making a case for polygamy.

carltonr61 2 years ago

After listening to assessment from the public most premarriages or dating involves non consensual sex from either party. Then the regularity of sex may lead to love, a child or both. Conservative men find females too sexually aggressive and eager to go on a first date. Females who hail religion first get married much older and too males who have at least one marriage. Stable married men make the most loyal sweethearts. In marriage both parties demand sexual fulfillment and both take matters into their own hands. After a marriage has gone through years of regularity either partner may seek pornography or sex toys to add variety but keep the marriage going. Female age for sexual dissatisfaction begins at pre menopause with consequential male sex frustration. A testosterone high husband could become sexually frustrated unless his balls are cut out he could get physical or find another bed to release in. Menopausal wife's are not responsible for their devastating change in personality which could last for ten years. 100% loyal husbands, response to wives erratic menopause misunderstanding could lead to bad male company who encourage drinking and risky sweathearting. Husbands loyal to wives after a few months without sex may force it.

carltonr61 2 years ago

85% of working wives have a job husband who delights her life with special morning greetings, occasional lunch flowers gifts and crying shoulders. They both may get some fulfillment from it that may grow into right time right place feelup of wet quick orgasm excitement climax. Married Men with economic potential are often car rape assaulted my single females. Foreign men love how Bahamian women smell.

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