Caribbean News
JAMAICA: Special Service Desk Helping Men to Be Their Best
#Jamaica, March 1, 2018 – Kingston – The Special Service Desk for Men, located at the offices of the Bureau of Gender Affairs (BGA), has been helping men to be productive members of society. It was established in April 2016 to assist men and boys in alleviating some of the major socio-economic challenges such as the crime and violence they experience.
The Desk serves as a central point in providing awareness on a range of issues, for example, parenting, health, education and the role of men in the elimination of violence against women, among others. In addition, it focuses on policy, research and gender-sensitive training, developing leadership and promoting responsible male behaviours and attitudes. Partnerships are also forged with men’s groups and other key stakeholders to raise awareness on specific issues faced by men and boys.
Speaking with JIS News, Research Officer at the Bureau of Gender Affairs, and Focal Point person for the Special Service Desk for Men, Nashan Miller, says that men are often seen as the perpetrators of violence.
“While there are statistics to confirm this viewpoint, there are a significant number of men and boys who are also victims, which tends to be greatly overlooked. Men and boys are also affected by gender-based violence, which not only includes physical abuse but emotional and psychological abuse, which is just as damaging,” Mr. Miller explains.
He notes that some of the views about antisocial behaviour and overt aggression in men and boys are linked to a culture of male-bashing and negative stereotyping. He says that studies show that some males who demonstrate antisocial behaviour are the products of parental neglect, especially where fathers were absent.
“We want to break this cycle by reinforcing the positive and unleashing hope,” he points out.
Mr. Miller also shared that during a male group meeting, with influential men’s groups and individuals, it was pointed out that there are too many negative images depicting men as abusers and perpetrators of violence. He says as a result, there was a call for more positive images depicting men as not just ‘ATM machines’ or ‘security’, but images of men having a positive effect on family and the wider society.
He cited the partnership with Men of God Against Violence and Abuse (MoGAVA), AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), and the Management Institute for National Development (MIND), where a new miniseries titled ‘Amazing Dads’ was produced to promote positive stories about fathers in Jamaica and mobilise men to be productive members of society, as an example of this.
He says the issue of paternity leave is another policy initiative that the BGA will spearhead to aid fathers to bond with their offspring at an early stage.
“I believe this would promote the image of men as not just providers but also caregivers,” Mr. Miller argues.
Meanwhile, some of the main achievements of the Special Service Desk for Men include observing International Men’s Day and Father’s Day, hosting of school sensitisation sessions, and community activities on domestic violence and other gender-related issues.
“We have gone into communities and several organisations to mainstream gender, particularly on issues related to both positive and negative masculinities, and we want to continue this momentum, as it will generate much-needed conversations and actions surrounding our men and boys,” Mr. Miller says.
He highlights that several organisations have been incorporating Men’s Day in their annual list of activities.
“While we have seen an increase in the number of programmes geared towards men, I think there’s still a significant amount of room for improvement. There needs to be a place where men are free to express their emotions without the fear of being labelled as ‘soft’ or where talking about their actions and negative behaviours is not seen as merely ‘finding excuses’, but viewed through the lens of critical emotional and psychology development of our men and boys,” Mr. Miller states.
Relaying an experience of a client, the Research Officer says that the young man expressed how pleased and relieved he was to be talking to a man about a male concern. However, the Research Officer stressed that the Special Desk for Men cannot do it alone.
“It will need sustained partnerships and collaboration with different interest groups and stakeholders to assist men in addressing several of their concerns. This is why we also make referrals and form partnerships with men’s groups, such as Fathers Inc., founded by Dr. Herbert Gayle,” Mr. Miller points out.
“Social change does not take place overnight, but the indications are that we are moving in the right direction. We are committed to taking the work across the length and breadth of Jamaica,” he adds.
The Special Services Desk for Men can be reached via email nmiller@mcges.gov.jm or by calling (876) 754-8576-8. Persons may also visit the offices at 5-9 South Odeon Avenue, opposite the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre.
By: Linton Heslop (JIS)
Photo credit: bbbs
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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