Bahamas News
Bahamas Crisis Centre Continues Call for Action to End Gender-Based Violence
#TheBahamas, April 23, 2023 – The reports of incidents of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in The Bahamas in the media over these recent weeks must be the ultimate wake-up call for us as a nation.
This week the news report was “MP choked and abused his fiancé”, and last week, the report was that of a mother and daughter being found dead and having suffered brutal attacks by a male known to them.
The week before, a repeat offender sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl, while at the park.
Let us all pause to reflect on the terror that has been present in those scenarios, and remember the trauma and horror faced by other victims who endured such attacks from others.
Gender-Based Violence can occur in any socioeconomic bracket, as was clear in the incidents mentioned above. It is not something that only occurs in gangs or circumstances that we can often say: ‘Oh it does not affect us all directly’.
Gender-Based Violence can occur under the cloak of any household; it is a broad-based social health issue that cannot be pushed aside.
Bahamas statistics reveal a 50% increase in reports of child abuse in addition to the police reports of an increase of
How many more wake-up calls do we need as a nation?
Swift action to address these types of assaults, particularly against the vulnerable in society, needs to be taken.
We congratulate the Minister of National Security and the Commissioner of Police for implementing a Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Unit and look forward to working with the ministry in this initiative.
Kudos to The Ministry of Social Services & Urban Development for the recent launch. We cannot forget about The Department of Social Services with the recent launch of the Family Island Gender-Based Violence Coordination Council in Abaco, which is a promising beginning.
We must however recognize the delay of successive governments in implementing the Task Force recommendations put forward in the completed Strategic Plan in 2016.
We call on the government to pass the Gender-Based Violence Legislation and the implementation of the Gender-Based Violence Authority that will bring together the key ministries and services to interrupt this cycle of violence that threatens the stability of our nation.
We have learned a great deal about Gender-Based Violence over the last decades. It is clear that a need exists to move away from the silos approach model, and instead, bring together all the partners involved in the work of addressing Gender-Based Violence in The Bahamas.
We need to establish a properly resourced Sexual Offences Court; we need to expand the capacity of the Police Forensics Unit to respond to the large numbers of reported sexual offences.
Sexual Offenders will continue to rape with impunity and without consequences, until we become serious in our response to this global and national shame.
The Bahamas Crisis Centre stands ready to continue to raise awareness on these issues and provide services for survivors, but we need more than platitudes and promises, we need ACTION!