TCI News
TCI: World AIDS Day 2018
#Providenciales, November 30, 2018 – Turks and Caicos – The spotlight for World AIDS Day 2018 is on HIV testing. There are 37 million people living with HIV globally, the highest number ever. Knowing your HIV status has many advantages, yet a quarter of persons infected with the virus do not know that they have the virus. The Turks and Caicos joins the rest of the world in observing World AIDS Day which is observed on the December 1st every year. This December 1st marks 30 years since the first world AIDS Day. The local theme for this year is “One Drop is All It Takes, Know Your Status, Get Tested”.
“Testing is an essential entry point to accessing HIV treatment, prevention, care and support services. People who test positive for HIV can be immediately linked to treatment (antiretroviral therapy) to keep them alive and well. Most persons do not understand that when viral load suppression is reached, there is the prevention of transmission of the virus,” stated Aldora Robinson Director of Health Promotion and Advocacy Unit. She further stated; “That it is critical that when persons are placed on treatment they understand it is for life and requires individuals to religiously take their medication everyday.”
Knowing your HIV status also empowers people to make informed decisions about how they can prevent HIV infection. From 1984 until the end of 2017, 627 people were diagnosed with HIV in the Turks and Caicos. At the end of 2017 there were a total of 514 persons living with HIV in the Turks and Caicos Islands with an estimated prevalence of 1.29% in the general population. The highest prevalence was observed among persons who were in the 65+ years age group in 2017, one may wonder why are older persons being diagnosed with HIV. Could it be that they are getting tested late? This is a lot of food for thought.
The Minister of Health, Agriculture, Sports and Human Services, Honorable Edwin Astwood, stated that; “We must challenge the stigma and discrimination that surrounds HIV in our society.” Hon. Astwood further stated that; “These two social attitudes continue to act as threats and barriers to the success of our response to HIV.” Hon. Astwood encouraged persons to get the facts and remove the barriers that prevent person’s from getting tested and seeking treatment.
To address the prevalence of HIV within the Turks and Caicos the Ministry of Health, Agriculture, Sports and Human Services have implemented a number of strategies through its Health Promotion and Advocacy Unit. There has not been a HIV positive baby born in the Turks and Caicos Islands since 2007. The Ministry is vigorously working towards the 90 90 90 global targets, point-of-care testing which is free has been implemented within all governments clinics. The private sector has also benefitted from training for point-of-care testing and should therefore, be offering point-of-care testing at patient encounter.
Mobile HIV testing has increased where HIV testing is being done in communities. Private businesses, government offices and churches have also benefitted from these services. Antiretroviral drugs (HIV medication) 
have been offered free of charge in country since 2005. The Health Promotion and Advocacy Unit uses various platforms to educate the general public and target groups. Some examples of the range of approaches used to advance HIV education and awareness includes conferences, health matters, radio commercials, workshops, peer education for school based students, social media such as Facebook pages and Instagram. There is also a robust condom distribution programme where condoms are distributed for free. All blood which is transfused in TCI is 100% from voluntary donors and is screened for HIV and other diseases. Other HIV strategies include collaboration with NGOs, a functioning HIV multi-sectoral committee that also has a steering committee, participation in regional meetings (e.g. PAHO, PANCAP etc.) and recently we hosted 2 stigma and discrimination training workshops for health care providers.
The Ministry is asking persons to do their part your health is your right take it and live positively.
Facts about HIV
How HIV is Transmitted:
- Through mother-to-child transmission – The transmission between an infected mother and her baby during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.
- Through unprotected sexual intercourse (vaginal or anal) or unprotected oral sex with an infected person.
- Transfusion of contaminated blood or blood products or transplantation of contaminated tissue or organs.
- The sharing of contaminated injecting equipment (needles, syringes or tattooing equipment) and solutions.
- Through the use of contaminated surgical equipment and other sharp instruments.
To prevent HIV infection:
- Abstaining from sexual activity.
- Practice safe sexual behaviours such as using condoms properly during sexual intercourse at all times.
- Get tested and treated for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV to prevent onward transmission.
- Avoid injecting drugs, or if you do, always use and properly dispose of sterile needles and syringes.
- If you have HIV, start antiretroviral therapy as soon as possible for your own health and to prevent HIV transmission to your sexual or drug-using partner or to your infant (if you are pregnant or breastfeeding).
Press Release: TCIG
Wilkie Arthur
Freelance Court Correspondent
#TurksandCaicos, April 25, 2024 – He was busted at the Howard Hamilton Providenciales International Airport on Friday, April 16, 2024.
He allegedly had in his luggage four (4) rounds of 6.5mm ammunition on his departure to his homeland in Oklahoma in the United States of America (USA).
Ryan Watson and his wife were arrested and placed into police lock up. Both were later granted police bail, and upon return to police station the Monday after the couple’s arrest, the husband alone was charged by detective Police Constable Kimberlee Markland for
unlawful possession of the four rounds of ammunition.
Watson was escorted to court on Tuesday, April 23rd, placed before the learned Chief Magistrate Mr. Jolyon Hatmin and remanded to His Majesty’s Prison until his sufficiency hearing on June 7, this (2024) year.
His counsel, Mr. Oliver Smith KC and his junior assistant Mrs. Kimone Tennant immediately sought bail for him in the Supreme Court which was heard the following day (Wednesday April 24) before her Ladyship Ms. Tanya Lobban-Jackson and was granted bail, without hassle in the amount or $15,000.00 cash or surety.
The Crown, in the person of senior public prosecutor Ms. Tassja Mitchell did not oppose bail.
Magnetic Media can report that once again on the afternoon of the Tuesday April 24th, after the accused RYAN TYLER WATSON, 41 was remanded by the Magistrate’s court, the U.S. Embassy issued an warning to it’s citizens and travelers to carefully check their bags when traveling to Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) as TCI authorities are strictly enforcing firearm and ammunition laws and if found you could go to prison for 12 years.
A real question of great concern and public importance is: should the TCI courts sentence tourists to the full mandatory minimum of 12 years imprisonment for simple possession firearm and/or ammunition.
The succinct answer is: Yes!
The Court of Appeal, just last month said in its written judgment that “ALL PERSONS,” including tourist/visitors must go to prison if found guilty or pleas guilty to firearm and ammunition offences.
However, there remains the concern about how much time in prison a judge should give a visitor regardless of the existence of exceptional circumstances.
Should the judge imprison a visitor to the territory, who may have been wrongly informed, for example, the full mandatory minimum term or must a reduced prison term be imposed.
If TCI judges start to give less than the mandatory minimum to tourists/visitors, it is being strong and widely advocated by senior defense attorneys that the same must apply to local or residents of these Islands, who may also present exceptional circumstances.
Arguments about the equity in delivery of justice is what drove the question to the Court of Appeal late in 2023. The decision came this past February.
‘We cannot find ourselves sentencing tourists regardless of exceptional circumstances to lesser sentences, and when those same exceptional circumstances are found in local cases, it’s being ignored by our judges.’
Human Rights Attorney, Sheena Mair has on more than one occasion argued this point; including in firearm and ammunition bail applications. She would put the very same judges and prosecutors from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution on the spot by reminding the judges and the prosecutors that precedent has been set.
‘You’ve just granted bail to a tourist for firearm and ammunition but now here’s a local person, same charge but because he’s a local he can’t get bail? He has to be remanded pending a trial that could take years before it’s heard?’
Mair has valiantly outlined the wrong in this and clearly stated this practice is “not fair” and it’s “not proper administration of justice in the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
Ms. Mair further complained that tourists would plea guilty to possession of firearm and ammunition and be released on bail pending sentencing but as for a local, he or she has to wait on remand at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation pending sentencing.
The attorney criticizes the optics of such decisions and is on record reminding the Judge that the Court of Appeal has already set out that the law applies to everyone; visitors and locals alike.
A police statement issued Wednesday April 24 informs: “Today (April 24th), Mr. Watson appeared in the Supreme Court and, following a bail application, was granted $15,000 bail with the following conditions:
1) Not travel out of TCI without the court’s permission.
2) Surrender his passport and all other travel documents to the court
3) Report to Grace Bay Police Station on Tuesdays and Thursdays between the hours of 8 am-4 pm,
4) Reside at the given address in Providenciales; any address change will be provided before the court.”
The American from Oklahoma whose story is trending in the US and has been carried by leading news networks was joined by a host of loved ones at the Courthouse.
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