The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

A WOMAN fears for her life and feels the authorities are failing her after she was allegedly physically assaulted in the presence of her three children, sustaining severe injuries to her head from a knife.

Her case highlights the country’s continued failure to ensure women experiencing violence or feeling threatened can feel safe, according to Alicia Wallace, director of the non-profit organisation Equality Bahamas.

Chiquia Rolle, 30, said she and a man she knows well had a documented history of abusive behaviour over 12 years, but she reached her breaking point on September 2 when a “petty argument” turned physically violent after he allegedly threatened her, saying: “You ga dead”.

She alleged that he caused a scene and became belligerent, leading her to call 911 for help. She said when he realised she was on the phone with the police, he turned violent and demanded her phone.

She said he tried to stab her with a pocket knife, causing severe head injuries that required 20 stitches, as well as a wound to her hand. 

The alleged conflict happened in front of three children, aged ten, eight and six, who begged him to stop.

Ms Rolle felt her plea for help to the police was not taken seriously. She said her neighbours intervened and eventually called the authorities.

The attack has taken a heavy emotional and mental toll on her and her children, leaving them fearful of staying in their home and forcing them to relocate for their safety.

Ms Rolle said her alleged assailant was charged only with property damage and assault with a deadly weapon, instead of a more severe charge like attempted murder. She said he received a $5,000 bail and is expected to be released today, leaving her uneasy.

She claimed the man had sometimes told her: “If you leave me, it will be in death; you won’t leave me alive.”

“Y’all fail me, because now here it is I come to y’all for protection,” she said. “I tell y’all I in fear for me and my children life because of what he did and what he did in the front of them. So, if you could do that in the front of them, who’s to say what you could do to them?”

“This what hurt me the most because the system is supposed to protect the woman who goes through these things.” 

Some women’s rights advocates have expressed dissatisfaction with recent legislative efforts to protect women, including the Protection Against Violence Act, which was passed last year.

The law would establish a commission to support victims and liaise with police officers when victims feel they lack full cooperation. The body is also supposed to liaise with the minister to ensure sufficient shelters are available to victims throughout the country. However, it is unclear whether the commission has been formed. Social Services Minister Myles Laroda did not respond to The Tribune’s request for comment up to press time yesterday.

Ms Wallace said the lack of an effective framework endangers people like Ms Rolle and reiterated her view that the Protection Against Violence Act was inferior to a previous draft bill.

“The very least that this country can do, that this government can do, is to ensure that the 30-year-old young woman has protection at all times, is safely housed, has all of her basic needs met and remember that domestic violence and intimate partner violence often follows women to work. Ensure that she does not need to appear at work when under threat,” she said.