TCI News
TCI: Hon. Vaden Williams – Contribution to Debate on Status of Children Bill
#Grand Turk, January 29, 2019 – Turks and Caicos –
Good morning Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the Status of Children Bill 2018 is among one of several outstanding Family Law Bills that had required further stakeholders consultation.
Over the last several months the Ministry of Home Affairs, along with the Attorney General’s Chambers, the Social Development Department and other stakeholders including the judiciary conducted meetings to review this Bill.
We are here today to present the final product of their hard work, with respect to this particular bill, and Mr. Speaker I want to pause to thank them for their efforts on the collection of family law bills on a whole.
Mr. Speaker, some persons may be asking why are we introducing this bill and what is its purpose of this Status of children Bill
In a nutshell Mr. Speaker we are introducing this bill because it is important for the Turks and Caicos Islands to ensure that all laws relating to children is up-to date and meets the standard of international best practices and conventions.
In addition to this Mr. Speaker, My Government is a Government that is working to protect all of the rights of all of our children.
Hence, the purpose of this bill Mr. Speaker, is to provide equal status to all of children in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
When we use the word status here Mr. Speaker, we are not speaking about immigration status of children. We are talking about how they are treated under the law regardless of whether they are born inside a marriage, or, whether they were born to two un-married parents.
As such, Mr. Speaker, the Bill proposes to repeal the `Legitimation Ordinance and the Illegitimacy Ordinance which overlap with what this bill is trying to achieve. It will also save certain sections as well as modify some parts of the provisions that are saved, to ensure that they match with the policy positions taken by our Government.
Mr. Speaker, I will highlight the issues this bill seeks to address, in five parts in accordance with the five parts of this bill.
PART 1 – Preliminary
Mr. Speaker, Part 1 of the bill simply
- Sets out the meaning or definition of key terms
- states who this bill applies to, and
- protects any related right a child would have had before this bill.
PART 2 – Status of Children
Mr. Speaker, part 2 is seeking to do several things.
- It is seeking to remove labels such as il-legitimate, legitimate, lawful or unlawful that have been pegged on to some children in our society for many generations. Our policy is that there will not be any distinction between children based on the marital status of their parent. Many children have been treated unkindly because of this, and Mr. Speaker I am happy that this caring Government is taking this important step to put the law on their side.
- Another thing that this part provides for, Mr. Speaker, is a list of several types of relationships, which shall be used in law, to determine the natural father of a child unless there is some other proof to confirm that he is not a child’s father. I will not go through the full list now, Mr. Speaker, but I do look forward to the contributions from Members of this Honorable House during the debate, and more importantly, during the Committee of the Whole.
Before I move on to the next part Mr. Speaker, it is important to highlight that this section also propose that we have provisions in our laws, for the very first time, presumptions of parentage based on artificial conception procedure.
Finally, it provides for certain conditions under which the Registrar shall file an instrument in the Registry of Births, when a father acknowledges paternity.
PART 3 – PARENTAGE
This part 3 Mr. Speaker, is making provisions for instances when a person can apply to the court to declare parentage.
It further provides for the court to require a parent test procedure it outlines matters that should be taken into account before a court order is made, and it lists the information that the results from the testing procedure should contain.
Last but not least, Mr. Speaker, it requires the Minister to approve a laboratory for carrying out parent testing procedure and enable the Minister to nominate a reporter for the approved laboratory or lab. This is important Mr. Speaker to ensure that standards are upheld and that personal information is kept strictly confidential.
PART 4 – DISPOSITION OF PROPERTY
Mr. Speaker, if there is one only area that cause strife within a family, is the manner in which property is given to other family members either through gifts or inheritance.
Clause 16 to 19 of this Part 4, Mr. Speaker, totally abolishes the distinction between children born within a marriage and outside a marriage and places them on equal footing for inheriting property, when a parent dies without a will.
We also know that there are cases where parents sometimes make paternity claim after the passing a presumed father. This bill now enables the administrator of a will to make reasonable inquiries regarding the existence of any other person who could claim an interest in the estate of the decease.
It also relieves the administrator of the responsibility to seek more information that he honestly and reasonably thinks is necessary and protects him from action being taken against him if had no knowledge or notice of a potential relationship between a person and the deceased.
It should be noted that Part 4 of this bill Mr. Speaker starts off by ensuring that the earlier provisions regarding wills and gifts that were completed or became effective before this bill, shall continue to be as is, and will not be affected by this bill.
PART 5 – MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Part 5 is the final part of this bill, Mr. Speaker, and it contains provisions relating to hearings, penalties for failure to adhere to parentage testing or seeking to tamper with tests, existing rights, regulations and repeal.
Mr. Speaker, in keeping with the rights of the child, this Government, my Government, is committed to protecting the rights of every child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment and maltreatment or exploitation.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the support of all members of this Honorable House on the Status of Children Bill that is being proposed here today and I now invite them, through you Mr. Speaker, to make their contributions to this very important pieces of legislation
Thank you Mr. Speaker
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday, 25 February 2026: Staff of the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) participated in a one‑day Professional Staff Development Workshop on Thursday, 19th February 2026. The session was facilitated by former DDME Director (2011–2021) and current Permanent Secretary of the Governor’s Office, Dr. Virginia Clerveaux.
The in-house workshop was organised by the DDME Training Unit, to focus on the National Disaster Management Framework, strengthening staff understanding of their roles and responsibilities within disaster management. The session also aimed to enhance the effectiveness of the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and reinforce inter‑agency coordination.
Drawing on her extensive experience in disaster management in the Turks and Caicos Islands, as well as several deployments to CDEMA member states including Haiti, The Bahamas, and Jamaica, Dr. Clerveaux provided practical insights that reinforced key concepts and clarified operational expectations. Staff members actively participated in discussions and shared recommendations to improve sub‑committee performance and overall departmental efficiency.
To support learning retention, the workshop incorporated pre‑ and post‑assessments, enabling participants to evaluate their understanding and track improvements.
Acting Director of DDME, Mr. Kevaun Lucas stated: “Investing in the continued development of our team is essential to strengthening national resilience. This and future planned workshops will help to reinforce our commitment to building a highly skilled, well‑coordinated workforce capable of leading and supporting disaster management efforts across the Turks and Caicos Islands. I am proud of the team’s engagement and encouraged by the meaningful contributions they made throughout the session.”
This Professional Staff Development Workshop forms part of DDME’s ongoing commitment to enhancing internal capacity, strengthening operational coordination and improving overall departmental synergy as the agency continues to advance national preparedness and response capabilities.
Photo Captions:
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 20 February 2026 — The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU), in collaboration with key
government agencies, coordinated a multi-agency enforcement exercise on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at Block and Parcel 60609/33 in the Five Cays area.
The exercise was led by the Crown Land Unit, pursuant to its statutory mandate under the Crown Land Ordinance to prevent squatting and encroachment on Crown land. The ISU coordinated the operation, with support provided by the Planning Department and the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, while the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force ensured security throughout the activity.
The enforcement action followed a series of inspections conducted by the Crown Land Unit throughout Five Cays, which identified several illegally constructed buildings made of concrete and timber on sections of the subject parcel. In keeping with the provisions of the Crown Land Ordinance, occupied structures were served Letters of Illegal Occupation, delivered by hand to occupants and
posted on structures where individuals were absent. Incomplete and unoccupied structures were served Notices of Unauthorized Occupation pursuant to section 22 of the Ordinance. A total of ten (10) Letters of Illegal Occupation and three (3) Notices of Unauthorized Occupation were issued during the exercise.
The Informal Settlements Unit reiterates that these coordinated enforcement exercises form part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to uphold the law, protect Crown land, and manage informal settlements in a structured and lawful manner. Members of the public are reminded that unauthorised occupation and development on Crown land is unlawful and subject to enforcement action.
Almost two million visitors recorded in 2025
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – The Turks and Caicos Islands saw an increase in stayover arrivals in December, seven percent higher than the corresponding period in 2024.
Preliminary data suggests that stay over arrivals by air for the month of December was 66,427 in comparison to 62,610 in December 2024.
From January to December 2025, preliminary visitor arrival numbers totalled 640,754; on par with the number recorded for the same period of 2024.
Stay Over Arrivals YTD December 2024/2025
The first quarter of the calendar year attracted the largest number of arrivals with visitor arrivals three percent higher than the first quarter of 2024. Reduced airlift from the United Kingdom and the United States, most notably the Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue services, was however felt from the second quarter (April to June). As a result, visitor arrivals dropped three percent in the second quarter.
By the third quarter of this year (July to September), geopolitical and economic conditions in the key source markets, namely the United States, led to further contraction of arrivals. In the last quarter of 2025, arrivals were impacted in October due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa but additional airlift from the USA and Canada resulted in an increase in arrivals in November and December.
Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant of Experience Turks and Caicos, said December’s increase in stayover arrivals is an encouraging indicator of the sustained interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a premier destination.
“While we note and continue to monitor geopolitical shifts that affect us, Experience Turks and Caicos is focused on increasing marketing initiatives in our primary source markets. We have spent the last two years investing in groundwork such as crucial travel advisor training to assist them in selling the destination more effectively. In the next fiscal, we will be building on those initiatives with co-op activities with partners as well as out of home advertising to increase visitation to our destination,” he said.
In Cruise, the preliminary count of passenger arrivals for the month of December 2025 was 129,346, a 22 percent increase over last December. This growth follows the berthing of 11 additional ships in Grand Turk this month.
From January to December, the cruise sector continued to outperform the same period last year, as the 1.3 million total cruise passengers recorded, marks a five percent Year-on-Year increase. 
The cruise sector experienced significant growth in the first quarter of 2025, with passenger arrivals surpassing last quarter by 53 percent. In the second and third quarter however, several cruise lines adjusted their itineraries as vessels were pulled from the fleet or from the Caribbean region, which resulted in fewer passengers.
Arrivals dropped seven percent and 10 percent in the second and third quarters, respectively. Double digit growth was recorded in the last two months of Quarter 4. This growth however, was not sufficient to outweigh the drop in arrivals experienced in October, following the cancellation of cruise calls due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Despite the late-quarter rebound, arrivals for the final quarter of 2025 closed six percent below the same period in 2024.
