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Importance of community when systems fail

Systems are failing us all the time. These system failures lead to unfavorable conditions. They affect our daily lives. They affect our wellbeing. We have been, however, trained not ignore systems and to focus on the individual. We look for the ways that an individual has done less than their best, or the ways that we ourselves have somehow contribute to the situation we find uncomfortable, dangerous, or otherwise subpar.

We have a tendency to turn on and blame one another for failures rather than being attentive to the ways that systems malfunction or, in as is often the case, successfully degrade, endanger, subjugate, and limit us and our positive life outcomes.

Last week, someone posted in a popular Facebook group about the gates at public elementary schools being closed until eight o’clock in the morning. The person raised the safety issue this causes after a child “decided to jump in front of [their] car” and they slammed on the breaks to avoid hitting the child. They referenced recent events that let us know that there are safety concerns that must be considered with regard to school-age children. The post also included a note about the children failing to listen to the security guard before this change to the gate opening time was made.

The issue the post raised is valid. With the school gate closed until eight o’clock, when teachers are at work, there is a significant amount of time that children are outside of the premises and without supervision. Given the traffic on the road from seven o’clock to nine o’clock in the morning, the eight and nine o’clock start times for far too many jobs, the start time for school, and the inefficiency and safety issues of public transportation, parents are often forced to drop their children to school quite early to ensure that the children get to school on time and they are on time for work.

Somehow, many of the comments ignored the issue the person raised, instead casting blame on parents. Numerous people suggested that parents think it is someone else’s responsibility to supervise their children outside of school hours. Some referenced the disrespect and rudeness of children and the need for parents to better train and discipline their children. Others pointed out the school is not for babysitting children. A few noted that the eight o’clock opening of the gate is a Ministry of Education policy. These may all be interesting points that can explored further. The issue that remains is the inability of many parents to take their children to school at a later time or wait at the school until the gate opens. The options may be for children to miss school or to be there early, before the gate is open.

It a quite common for people to respond to systemic issues by imposing a set of rules or practices, however unrealistic, on individuals. There are sometimes ways that we can improve our lives and make more options available to ourselves, but we cannot bootstrap ourselves out of poverty and the same is true for other conditions that extend beyond our personal capacity to change.

There are many who cannot afford a one-bedroom apartment, not because they are unemployed, inept, or lazy, but because minimum wage is not enough money to live independently. People who are employed and unhoused do not need to be told to get jobs. They have jobs, and the problem is both the rate of pay and the incompatibility of the rate of pay with the actual cost of living. Reducing homelessness does not necessarily require job creation or helping people to find jobs, though this may be helpful for some. It requires a completely different approach to the remuneration of employees and the social services that should support people who are not paid enough to meet their basic needs. A shelter for unhoused people would be a great initiative, and it would not solve the problem. It makes for a good temporary measure while systemic changes are made.

In the case of the school gate opening at eight o’clock and the resulting situation of children being unsupervised and unsafe early in the morning, it may be useful for parents, administrations, teachers, and community members to get together and find a way to create a safe environment for the children who must be taken to school early. Opening the gate and having security to ensure only children and staff gain access may be considered ideal. Others may think there should be a “holding place” for the children before the gate opens, but this still requires adult supervision. We can think of many ways to address this issue on site, but the root of the issue would still be there. There is a system that needs to change.

School hours and work hours are not harmonised, and employers are not responsive to the needs of employees who are full human beings—not just staff, but have other responsibilities as family members and friends.

The 9-to-5 and 8-to-4 work schedule has taken root and become the standard, even in a country that is heavily dependent on the tourism industry (which requires shift work) along with other service industries. Many administrative job functions do not need to be performed during specific hours. Many businesses and customers would benefit from different open hours. There are numerous adjustments that can be made.

While New Providence is not growing in size, the number of cars on the road seem to keep increasing. Traffic is a mess almost all day, every day. It takes far too long to get from one place to another, all because of the number of cars on the road at any given time (and the ways they are driven). This can be alleviated with adjustments to the work day and overall flexibility in work schedules. Everyone does not need to be at work at eight or nine in the morning. Some can begin work at ten or eleven o’clock. We can go into detail about the ways this could benefit businesses, but it is really enough to recognise the benefits to workers and their families. That, on its own, is important, but it is not reflected in workplace practices because the priority is profit. That is the rule of capitalism, of course, yet we are all living in the world, living in this country, where we could all benefit from a better ecosystem, and that begins with support for families.

What needs to change with regard to the rights of workers? What do employers need to do differently? How can we make it possible for people to be as high-performing in their families as they are on their jobs? What have we accepted as normal or standard that need not be? How can we train ourselves to think beyond the individual, resist the urge to cast blame, and set about creating solutions that can be applied at the systemic level, for the benefit of all?

As we continue to navigate the challenges of a world that is unchanging in many ways, yet changing in ways that terrify and terrorize many, it is important that we remember the importance of community. We have a responsibility to be attentive, not only to individual and familial needs, but to the needs of the collective. We, as community members, need to actively care for one another, understanding the value of human life and the necessity of combining our efforts to assess problems, create solutions, and advocate for systemic change that is the responsibility of the people we elected to represent us.

National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, so it is a good time to revisit favorite poems, pick up a book of poetry, or even put pen to paper to write a poem or two. To join the people participating in National Poetry Writing Month, send a message to Poinciana Paper Press on Facebook or Instagram to request an add to the WhatsApp group. The group will write a collective poem at Sovereign, the exhibition open at Poinciana Paper Press on Wednesday, April 9, at 6pm, and those in New Providence will meet at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas on Sunday, April 13, at 2pm for a field trip that includes a look at this year’s National Exhibition and writing together.

“For Nothing Is Fixed” by James Baldwin

For nothing is fixed,

forever, forever, forever,

it is not fixed;

the earth is always shifting,

the light is always changing,

the sea does not cease to grind down rock.

Generations do not cease to be born,

and we are responsible to them

because we are the only witnesses they have.

The sea rises, the light fails,

lovers cling to each other,

and children cling to us.

The moment we cease to hold each other,

the moment we break faith with one another,

the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.

Published in The Tribune on April 9, 2025.

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The International Women’s Day march is over. Now, what’s being done on the issues?

International Women’s Day has, once again, come and gone. It is still Women’s History Month, however, and this is a good time to look at the progress made on women’s rights and be attentive to the persisting issues and what each and every person can and must do to affect change. Advocates, non-governmental organisations, and members of the public look to the government to make necessary changes to laws and policies in order to eliminate gender-based violence against women and combat gender-based discrimination. Businesses, though, are not often thought of or called upon to do their part.

Most of us spend our most valuable time at work and the workplace shapes our lives, both by what it demands of us, what it exposes us to, and the constraints it imposes on our lives. We must, then, look to employers to see us all as human beings, recognised that we have full lives, face the ways they contribute to gender inequality, and make adjustments so that that workplaces are not only productive, but responsive to the needs of the employees who keep them running.

Here are four policies that businesses need to adopt rather than waiting for the government take action and force the changes across the board:

1. Sexual Harassment Policy.

In 2025, there should be no business that does not have a sexual harassment policy. Even small businesses need to have human resource manuals and employee handbooks that acknowledge sexual harassment as a form of workplace discrimination, explains what it is and the forms it takes, and explicitly states that it will not be tolerate. There must be a clearly articulated procedure for reporting sexual harassment and handling the complaint.

2. Provide expanded parental leave.

The law currently allows for 13 weeks of maternity leave. There is no leave for fathers. These are both issues which become obvious when one becomes a parent and faces the reality of the healing process for mothers and the bonding that needs to happen with both mothers and fathers. Employers do not need to wait for law to make the necessary changes. Some companies have already taken small steps by providing paid leave to fathers, though the leave period is quite short. Both parents need time at home with their newborn. The birthing parents experiences pain, discomfort, and difficulty moving on her own, so she often requires assistances. The other parent needs to be present to provide that support and to participate in the care of the newborn.

Women face consequences of maternity leave when they return to work. It is not limited to people referring to this health leave as “vacation” or having bad attitudes due to the change in workload or dynamics during the mother’s absence, but includes the complete exclusion from opportunities for growth and promotion as people make decisions for her because she is a mother “can’t” do certain things like work late or travel for work. When men have leave, it helps to level the field in multiple ways. It challenges the idea that women are solely responsible for childcare, it gives men the opportunity to learn about and participate childcare alongside the women, and it combats the gender discrimination at work with both men and women benefitting from leave and face the reality of returning to work.

3. Implement C190 and R206.

The Bahamas ratified the International Labor Organization’s Convention 190 (C190) on Eliminating Violence and Harassment in the World of Work in November 2022. While the International Organization allows one year from the date of ratification for its Conventions to come into force, C190 has yet to be implemented.

Convention 190 defines the world of work broadly, extending beyond what may usually be considered the office, store, worksite, or other distinct area in which work is undertaken. Article 3 says:

“This Convention applies to violence and harassment in the world of work occurring in the course of, linked with or arising out of work:

(a) in the workplace, including public and private spaces where they are a place of work;

(b) in places where the worker is paid, takes a rest break or a meal, or uses sanitary, washing and changing facilities;

(c) during work-related trips, travel, training, events or social activities;

(d) through work-related communications, including those enabled by information and communication technologies;

(e) in employer-provided accommodation; and

(f) when commuting to and from work.”

Employers have a responsibility to create and maintain work environments that are free of harassment and violence. Recommendation 206 (R206), which accompanies C190 is an excellent place for employers to start as it includes the concrete actions that can be taken toward to the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work.

It states, for example, that workplace policy should:

(a) state that violence and harassment will not be tolerated;

(b) establish violence and harassment prevention programmes with, if appropriate, measurable objectives;

(c) specify the rights and responsibilities of the workers and the employer;

(d) contain information on complaint and investigation procedures;

(e) provide that all internal and external communications related to incidents of violence and harassment will be duly considered, and acted upon as appropriate;

(f) specify the right to privacy of individuals and confidentiality, as referred to in Article 10(c) of the Convention, while balancing the right of workers to be made aware of all hazards; and

(g) include measures to protect complainants, victims, witnesses and whistle-blowers against victimisation or retaliation.

4. Flexible working hours.

While most people have to work full time in order to meet basic needs, there are demands beyond the workplace because we all live more full, complex lives than robots designed to produce, produce, produce. By law, all children of school age must be enrolled in and attend school. They need to be transported to and from school and, in many cases, this requires the involvement of at least one adult who has the use of a car or can accompany them by bus. This is the safest option for children who are young, small, impressionable, sexualised, and at-risk of harm at the hands of adult predators. Being an employee and being a parent are not mutually exclusive. Many parents have to leave work during the work day to collect their children from school and take them home or to another place where it is expected that they will be supervised and remain safe. The eight-hour work day with one hour break does not accommodate this specific, common need.

Many parents use their lunch hours for school pickup. This has become a norm, but it is not acceptable. It means a large proportion of employees do not have time to eat lunch — necessary for the physical health and cognitive function — or to take care of themselves in other ways, including having a break from their tasks. In addition, with most schools ending the day at the same time, causing an increase in traffic on the road, one hour is not sufficient. Not only would it be helpful to allow for flexible work hours, but it would be beneficial to make allowances for more flexible work structure and location, including the option to work from home. Working from home for part of the day — for example, from 1pm  to 5pm — or two to three days per week can assist employees in making the most of their work days while attending to their personal and familial needs. This also contributes to wellbeing in the workplace.

By extending these options to all employees, employers make it possible for fathers to be more full participants in the lives of their children by meeting one of their practical needs. When both mothers and fathers do the school run, there is less distinction between mothers and fathers which can lead to the end of stigma against mothers who are judged and punished for being mothers and having certain responsibilities laid at their feet with no support from fathers who are left to excel at work.

Gender-based violence against women and gender inequality are linked. Ending violence against women and achieving gender equality require the same kinds and levels of work. We are saddled with one lousy government administration after another, and we have to make our demands more consistently and loudly with every general election, and employers are left to do the bare minimum. This has to change. We must continue to pressure the government, and we must demand more of employers. The cost of treating employees like human beings can not be accepted as an excuse for inhumane practices and failures to adjust to the changing reality and the knowledge we gain which should result in change. Any business that cannot afford to implement policies and programs that reduce and eventually eradicate gender-based violence and discrimination cannot afford to be in business. They need to crunch the numbers and figure it out. Workers are not just means of production. Workers are people, with human needs and human rights. Employers need to step up and take action, even as the government fails to lead the way.

Published in The Tribune on March 12, 2025.

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‘Rape is rape’, except in our laws it isn’t

“Prime” describes minister. Every minister is not the prime minister. The prime minister is a specific type of minister. We can talk about minister in general, and we can acknowledge that different ministers are treated differently. In particular, the prime minister is quite different from other ministers given the specific aspects of the position that other ministers do not have.

In “curry chicken,” curry describes chicken. Every chicken dish is not curry chicken. We can talk about chicken dishes generally and at length, and we can acknowledge that all chicken dishes are not exactly the same. There are numerous chicken dishes that, for example, contain tomatoes. There are some that do not necessarily have tomatoes. Each variety of chicken dishes is distinct, though a part of this general group.

Adjectives are used to make a distinction between nouns that may otherwise be groups together and could be inappropriately treated as the same. Sometimes the adjectives are used for harmful division, causing difference in treatment that are discriminatory and lead to violent outcomes. Many adjectives are used to describe and mark difference between women who are, otherwise, all a part of one group. There are black women, working class women, migrant women, and married women. These are all women, and each subgroup, with the adjective adding description, has shared experiences that are different from those of other subgroups.

Married women share some experiences with unmarried woman because of their share womanhood, but some experiences are specific to married women. In fact, marriage comes with consequences for women, and this is why we have to talk about marital. It is the exclusion of spouses—married people—from the definition of rape in the Sexual Offences Act that makes it necessary for us to talk about marital rape when we should be able to talk about rape without the descriptor.

Why does the prime minister have a problem with describing rape?

There is actually a better question. Does the prime minister actually care about describing rape and the reason the term “marital rape” is being used? Use of this term is not without reason. It is a result of the fact that the Sexual Offences Act currently excludes married people from the definition of rape. One spouse can rape the other without legal consequence due to the exclusion, through “who is not his spouse” at the end of the definition of rape in Section 3 of the Sexual Offenses Act. “Marital rape”, then, is a term we use to talk about the specific act of sexual violence that the law not only does not address, but explicitly communicates disinterest and inaction with regard to it. The term “marital rape” is only used because the law has separated rape of a spouse by a spouse from every other rape.

To complain about “describing rape,” knowing the legal context and importance of advocacy—with precise language—to criminalise it is ridiculous. Unless we are to believe the prime minister is not particularly intelligent and passed the bar by a fluke, we can only read this nonsense opposition to the use of the term—which we need in order to address this issue—as disingenuous and especially disrespectful to the affected people and the people advocating for legal reform to make the use of the term unnecessary.

Women’s right organisations and advocates have not asked for rape to be “described”. In fact, we have clearly stated that there is no type of rape or descriptor of rape that makes it better or worse. There is rape by strangers. There is rape that occurs on dates. There is rape that is perpetrated by multiple people. There is rape that is connected to hatred of LGBTQI+ people. There is rape perpetrated by family members. There is rape that is facilitated by drugs. Yes, there is marital rape. Yes, rape is rape. The law, however, does not reflect these truths.

This is not the first time the prime minister has spewed this nonsense about marital rape and his personal dislike for the term. He made the same comment in April 2024. It is as absurd this year as it was last year. There is no need to consult on the issue, especially when the prime minister has stated that “rape is rape”. What is there to discuss or debate? Get rid of the categories of rape. Make the “descriptions” of rape useless.

Here is a one-step guide to getting rid of “marital rape” as a descriptor of rape: Criminalise marital rape by amending Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act to remove “who is not his spouse” so that the marital exception is not in the law and all rape becomes illegal, regardless of any relationship that may exist between the perpetrator and the survivor or victim. The #Strike5ive campaign by Equality Bahamas clearly states additional amendments to make it strong, explicit, and free of loopholes.

Recommendations

1. Join Feminist Book Club in reading What Happened to Belén by Ana Elena Correa in March. Ana Elena Correa is a lawyer, journalist, and women’s rights activist in Argentina and this book is about Belén, a 25-year-old woman who did not know that she was pregnant and had a miscarriage. Doctors reported her to the authorities and she was imprisoned. This sparked the #niunamas—not one more—feminist movement which led to the decriminalisation of abortion in Argentina in 2021. Literary Hub said, “Ana Correa poignantly recounts how so many systems failed Belén, the movement that sprung to action to free her… an essential read detailing the harms created by police in healthcare settings, abortion stigma, and the criminalization of pregnancy outcomes whether it’s in Argentina or the United States of America.”

2. Plan to participate in the International Women’s Day March + Expo hosted by Equality Bahamas. The annual event will begin at the Eastern Parade (lawn east of Scotiabank on East Bay, accessible by vehicular traffic from Dowdeswell Street) at 8:45am when participants will gather for the march to The Dundas grounds on Mackey Street. Upon arrival at The Dundas, the International Women’s Day Expo will open with Zumba with Ms. Deidree followed by concurrents sessions including poetry writing, salsa dancing, and yoga, a dedicated space for art by Sixty 2 Sixty Art Gallery, a fun zone for children by Sustainable Me Summer Camp, and nongovernmental organizations including Bahamas Crisis Centre, The Dignified Girl Project, and Hands for Hunger. It is a great place to spend the day with family, friends, and new people and to engage in fun activities without having to spend money on site.

Published in The Tribune on February 19, 2025.

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Maternity: Putting people over profit

The world of work, with all of its complexities and far-reaching impact, is a fascinating one to explore, especially alongside society and its stagnation in some areas and changes others. We have learned to measure ourselves and our worth based on what we are able to (tangibly) produce. Even outside of the formal workplace, people feel the need to be productive. There is always work to do. Even in engaging in hobbies, there is the impetus to do more, more, more and, perhaps more devastatingly, to monetise. Very little is done for the sheer enjoyment of the activity. Even leisure is turned into work, or there is a significant, persistent encouragement to turn what was once fun into a money-making venture.

The push toward entrepreneurship was strong at the turn of the millennium, and not much has changed since then. People convince one another that it is good to struggle, that it will eventually pay off, and that the rags to riches stories can belong to everyone. Side hustles are the norm and have even become necessary for the survival of far too many people. After a while, there is pressure to somehow level up, and that could mean renting a brick and mortar space, significantly increasing the overhead cost, needing to produce even more to cover those costs, hiring people to help and not being able to pay them a fair wage, and pinching pennies in the (often futile) attempt to make ends meet. People, regardless of socioeconomic status, get caught up, quite easily, in the dream that capitalism tries to sell us—that we can all benefit from the capitalist system that only sees people as means of production and amassing wealth, if only we find people to subjugate with the promise of wages and benefits that are somehow better than abject poverty.

The same system that drags so many out of bed early in the morning to sit in traffic for more than hour to get to work on an island that is only 21 by 7 miles to be paid less than a living wage, all in the name of production, requires reproduction. Capitalism does not work without a labour force. It does not work without people. For capitalism to continue to function, babies have to be born, children have to raised and education, and people have to work for the money they need to survive. Capitalism needs people to reproduce. It requires both productive and reproductive labour from all of us. Productive labour is the work that produces commodities for capitalist enterprises, producing surplus value. Reproductive labour is the work, including paid and unpaid cleaning, cooking, and childcare, that makes productive labour possible.

The economy is such that people of all genders are necessarily engaged in productive labour. Households require two or more incomes to function. It is no longer the norm for men to go out to work and women stay at home to manage the household and the children. Everyone must work. At the same time, reproductive labour must be done. While the responsibility to bring in an income for a household to function has been redistributed to include women (with the acknowledgement that black women have always been engaged in productive work), reproductive labour has largely remained on the shoulders of women. Women, then, work a second shift. Women go to work all day, then return to home to prepare meals, clean the house, do the laundry, go through the homework, check on elderly family members, make the grocery list, and complete tasks that men may never even think about. This is not where it ends.

Women not only engage in productive labour (and for less money than men are paid for work of the same value as evidenced by numerous reports) and reproductive labour (for no pay if it is in their own households and low pay if it is in the household(s) of others); women also bear the cost of reproductive labour. Though pregnancy is different for every pregnant person, it is never without its scars and long-lasting effects. The body goes through drastic changes, there are medical expenses that sometimes require loans, and there is significant impact on careers. Women are punished by the workplace for taking maternity leave and for being mothers.

It is absolutely necessary for mothers to have maternity leave, both to recover from harrowing medical procedures and to bond with their babies. In The Bahamas, women get three months of maternity leave which is insufficient. It takes longer than three months to heal following the delivery of a baby, breastfeeding is recommended for six months, and nurseries do not take babies as young as three months old. The absence of paternity leave is also a challenge. It is absolutely necessary for fathers to have leave to support the recovery of the mothers and to bond with their babies. Expecting a person who has just given birth to take care of themselves while caring for a newborn who must be fed, held, and changed with great frequency is absurd and inhumane. Where there are two parents, they both need to be involved from the very beginning. This is important for the health of the mother, the health of the baby, and the change in societal expectations that women undertake all of the domestic and care work. Women and men both need to be involved in the lives of their children, and we all need to understand the importance of their equal involvement. Changing the law to ensure that father have access to paternity leave is one way to make it clear that reproductive labour must be shared.

There is tremendous stigma in the workplace related to women, maternity leave, and motherhood. Women are often reluctant to take maternity leave or to request additional leave when pregnancy-related health issues arise. Women’s careers are negatively affected by childbirth. Managers and coworkers complain about the planned absence during maternity leave, and it is not uncommon for managers to withhold opportunities for advancement. Some hiring managers are even reluctant to hire women who they suspect will have children, not wanting the business to be impacted by maternity leave or the responsibilities that everyone knows come with motherhood but seem to separate from fatherhood. Paternity leave would also shift this dynamic, making it clear that women and men are engaged in social reproduction and need to be involved in their children’s lives. The work of producing labourers for the continuation of the capitalist system should not be punished.

Small business in The Bahamas are struggling for many reasons. The cost of doing business—inclusive of the failed systems and long wait times for completion of simplest of processes—in this country is prohibitive to most and destabilising for those managing to get through the tangle. From the cost to purchase or rent commercial property and maintain it to forced closure of businesses and reduced customer and client traffic due to crumbling public infrastructure, small and medium-size businesses have great difficulty getting to and staying in the black. One of the most seemingly flexible costs is human resources, and this can lead to exploitation of workers, especially when they are young, in difficult situations, and unaware of labour laws.

It is no surprise that the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce made a statement against the extension of maternity leave. The Chamber has not shown any signs of progressive thinking or care for workers. The same Chamber opposed the four-day work week just months ago. The priority is, as the name suggests, the exchange of good and services. It does not care of the people whose labour makes commerce possible. The Chamber is not where we need to turn for commentary on human rights, healthcare, or the wellbeing of workers. Small business are often referenced as the scapegoat in claims that they cannot survive certain changes which, of course, are in the best interest of people rather than profit. Many small businesses simply cannot afford to be in business. It is not necessarily a sign of their own foolhardiness or failure. The Bahamas is a difficult place to do business. It is a difficult place to own a business.

A business that cannot afford to follow the law cannot afford to be in business. A business that cannot afford to pay a living wage cannot afford to be in business. A business that cannot afford to pay maternity leave cannot afford to be in business. A business that cannot afford to hire temporary workers when staff members are on parental leave cannot afford to be in business.

The needs of people cannot be secondary to the need for profit. There are many aspects of doing business in The Bahamas that need to change. Many changes can improve the economy and our participation in it. There are measures that can be taken to support small and medium-size businesses, to improve public infrastructure, to implement a living wage, and to support families. The extension of maternity—which ought to be no less than six months, especially if a primary goal to support breastfeeding—and the addition of paternity leave is necessary. It will be beneficial to families and communities, and it will move us toward gender equality. No small business can or should stand in the way of that.

Published in The Tribune on January 15, 2025.

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We must put a stop to blaming the victims

It is day 10 of the Global 16 Days Campaign, also known as 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. When the campaign started, on November 25, people were still upset about the rape and murder of 12-year-old Adriel Moxey. People were still upset that, just days after Adriel Moxey’s body was found, it was reported that 72-year-old Vernencha Butler had been raped and murdered. Today, there is hardly any reference made to the girl or to the elderly woman. As always the news cycle moved people along. The focus has been on corruption of police and politicians.

This is why the Global 16 Days Campaign exists. Sixteen days is not nearly enough time to talk about gender-based violence, highlight cases of import, look at recommendations that have been made to The Bahamas, review laws and policies that are discriminatory and violent, or advocate for specific changes. There is always more work to do. The campaign does, however, give us a period of time that is recognised by many institutions and some individuals as necessary, requiring attention, and demanding meaningful action.

The immediate reaction to reports of the rape and murder of Adriel Moxey, and comments following interviews with her mother, showed that the general public is accustomed to focusing on individuals — specifically to blame them —instead of looking at the environment and systems that people are trying to function within when they are not built for our benefit. It is difficult to hear about a tragedy and not be able to place the blame on someone, especially when the blame can help us to deny that the tragedy could ever affect us. People want to think they are too smart, too good, too careful to be victims of tragedy.

It is easy, too, to blame the perpetrator for his violent, horrific crimes. It is actually easier to blame the person who acted in an abominable way than it is to blame people who are not only innocent, but suffering as a result of the tragedy. The Bahamas, however, has practised blaming victims and, in particular, blaming mothers. When a child is missing, when a child is murdered, when a child is apprehended by police, when a child is struggling in school, “Where was the mother?” Even in asking the question, people are generally uninterested in the facts of mothers’ whereabouts and competing responsibilities. People do not want to face the fact that working to get money to meet children’s physical needs is not compatible with meeting the psychosocial needs of children.

Systems designed by the government and private sector do not allow parents to work and be active parents, able to be with their children when school is out. Alternatives are generally not provided — not in the form of flexible work arrangements, and not in the form of childcare. There is nothing less interesting than this to the people screaming out for the heads of mothers except the whereabouts and priorities of the fathers.

The people who have enacted violence are the ones that must carry the blame for what they have done.

We need to change the questions we ask when children are abducted, sexually violated, and murdered. It is not productive to ask why a child was walking. Children walk every day. They walk to school. They walk to the tuck shop. They walk to the grocery store to work. They walk back home. Adults walk too. Sometimes adults are also assaulted. On their way to the bus stop where they expect to be able to catch a bus to go to work. On their way to the grocery store to pick up a few items. On their way to a party. On their way back home. People walk.

Sure, we can ask what it would be like if people did not have to walk. The way to get there, however, is not that everyone owns a car and drives themselves and their dependents everywhere they need to go. A properly functioning, safe, reliable public transportation with extended hours may be a bit closer to where the conversations need to focus. Still there are better questions.

What if we could walk? What if elderly people could walk from church to their homes at 8pm? What if women could walk to the bus stop before daybreak? What if girls could walk home from their after school activities? What if it was simply safe to walk?

We need to consider the reasons that so many need someone— a person — to blame when they failed systems and lack of systems are blatant. We need to consider the reasons that mothers are seen as the only parents, and the only people with any responsibility for their children, even when they cannot be with them at all times. We need to consider the reasons that the first (and sometimes only) idea that many people have is to restrict the movement and freedom of women and girls in an attempt to prevent violence against women and girls. We need to consider the reasons that people are not talking about the very real, very obvious problems which include the fact that we cannot safely walk and the fact that there are many sexual predators and murderers around us. We need to learn to ask better questions. We need to demand more of the government which exists to meet our needs, acknowledging that we cannot meet them all ourselves, through enactment and implementation of laws as well as provision of reliable, quality public goods and services.

Remaining Global 16 Days Campaign events, hosted by Equality Bahamas.

Wednesday, December 4: Managing Disasters, with Barrise Griffin

Barrise Griffin is known as the the Master of Disaster. Her work focuses on critically examining the social perceptions of risk to create more effective strategies in disaster preparedness and response throughout the Caribbean. Equality Bahamas will be in conversation with Barrise Griffin about disaster management, putting focus on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Disaster management cannot be about individual actions, contingent on our limited resources. To be effective, it has to be systemic and for the benefit of all. Join the session to find out about existing systems for disaster management and what The Bahamas still needs to build. Register: tiny.cc/16daysgriffin

Thursday, December 5: Femicide in the Caribbean, with Taitu Heron

Since 2020, Equality Bahamas has included advocacy to end femicide in its Global 16 Days Campaign activities. In 2023, we had a conversation with Myrna Dawson about her work to build and maintain the Canadian Femicide Observatory. Taitu Heron attended the event and later connected with Myrna Dawson and decided to conduct research on femicide in The Bahamas, Barbados, and Jamaica. Femicide is the killing of a woman or girl because of her sex or gender. The term is not used in The Bahamas or the rest of the Caribbean which means the killings of women and girls are not properly counted or analysed. We’ll be in conversation with Taitu Heron about her research on femicide in select countries in the Caribbean. We are looking forward to finding a way forward in research on femicide and ensuring that cases are recorded and the analysis contributes to the work to prevent femicide and gender-based violence. Register: tiny.cc/16daysheron.

Saturday, December 7: Making Our Rage Visible, with Sonia Farmer and Margot Bethel at Poinciana Paper Press.

We need time and space to engage with the arts and create art of our own. Equality Bahamas partners with Poinciana Paper Press to host and facilitate sessions to bring people together to try new activities, have discussions, and create items imbued that are useful, beautiful, and meaningful to everyone involved. On Saturday, people are welcome to drop in at any time between 10am and 5pm to try block printing (which will involve making a stamp) and screen printing. Participation in these activities come with the gift of newly printed pieces, including a bandana that is part of a limited run and connect with a campaign by Equality Bahamas. This event, as with all Equality Bahamas events, is free of charge.

Monday, December 9: Writing Our Rage, with Staceyann Chin at Poinciana Paper Press.

Staceyann Chin is known across the Caribbean and all over the US as a poet who writes and speaks her rage with a conviction and energy that brings other people into it. There is limited capacity in the writing workshop she will facilitate for people interested in getting their rage on the page. No experience in writing poetry is necessary to join this workshop. Register: tiny.cc/ragewriting

Tuesday, December 10: Let’s Make a Rage Book! with Sonia Farmer at Poinciana Paper Press.

Making a book is challenging, fun experience. Doing it in a group is even more fun because everyone can see the skills in the room. Each person is always particularly good at one of the tasks, and no one can really guess which person will be best at which task. There are many ways to make a book, but participants will have to wait until Tuesday to find out which one Sonia Farmer will demonstrate and guide us through. Equality Bahamas highly recommends that those interested in making a book also participate in the printmaking day on Saturday. The prints made on that day may be used for the book covers. In this session, we will keep the rage theme going and everyone will leave with a rage book of their own. Register: tiny.cc/ragebook

Published in The Tribune on December 4, 2024.

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Mental Health and Money

In recent years, there seems to have been an increased in reported suicide and attempted
suicide. People are in distress, and they are not being adequately supported. People
experiencing anxiety, depression, and thoughts of suicide do not present in exactly the same
ways. People find a variety of ways to cope, with most methods being temporary and/or
destructive. Self-medicating is common, though not often discussed, and there are many people
who work hard to ignore what is happening in their minds and bodies. People should not reach
the point of crisis before they get the help they need. Everyone needs to be aware that others
are going through unimaginable challenges, whether or not we know about them.

The cost of living is constantly going up, making it difficult for people to make ends meet.
Minimum wage, even with the recent increase, is nowhere near a living wage. It is almost
impossible to secure housing on one’s own while only being paid minimum wage. Add to rent
the cost of utilities—including electricity bills that are unpredictable, nonsensical, and
astronomical, particularly during the summer and whether or not people are at home all
day—and grocery and it is not difficult to see why “side hustles” have been normalized and are
even seen as a sign of success. How could anyone do well in this life with just one job, just one
salary? A side gig, for far too many, is a must.

It is rare to see anyone engaging in hobbies for their own enjoyment. Even the activities we
used to do, and should be able to do, merely for the pleasure of it have been turned into money-
making ventures. If you do it well, while not make money from it? Turn it into a job, and buy into
the myth about loving what you do and it being equal to never working a day in your life. That is
simply not true since we were not made to work, work was not made to be enjoyed, and what
we enjoy was never supposed to be gobbled up by the capitalist system. If the time we used to
spend on hobbies is now spent monetizing them, when and where will we find the time to do
anything other than work?

For some generations, having a social life was a given. People were in social clubs that met
regularly. They hosted and attended weekly card games. Friend groups hosted regular potlucks.
Milestone birthday parties, weddings, and funerals were not the only times that people got
together and spent time with their family members and friends. Today, there is pressure to
spend more time at work and the need to accept any and every extra shift and overtime
opportunity that becomes available. For home ownership to even be a dream, and to get
anywhere near saving enough money for a down payment, people need multiple streams of
income or to receive an inheritance or otherwise have wealth. The goals of baby boomers and
GenXers are far-fetched now.

Financial struggle makes it difficult to meet the most basic human needs, much less enjoy life.
When there is additional stress or crisis, which may include grief, it is often necessary to speak
with a mental health professional. Mental health services are not in the average person’s
budget. The way to access public services is, as in many areas, unclear. There is also still a
tremendous amount of stigma. People still throw around terms like “crazy” in casual
conversations as well as in reference to people who are in need of intervention by mental health
professionals.

Sometimes people need someone to talk to who is neutral and equipped to help them to think
through their situations, identify the options, and make the best possible choice. Sometimes
there is a need for medication to support them on a daily basis. Sometimes specific types of
therapy are needs for short or extended periods of time. Starting the process by speaking with a
mental health professional is critical, and it helpful to build a relationship with a therapist before crisis arises. It is healthy and productive to have talk therapy. Assessments can help us to get a better understanding of ourselves as well as the ways we function or do not function well.

Without support, it is easy for a person in crisis to think they are simply not meant to be here or
incapable of staying here. It is not necessarily that they do not want to live, but that they cannot
see themselves continuing to live under the current circumstances. People need to know that
others are struggling, that there are people who can help, and that it is okay to focus on what
they need to do to make it to the next day and continuing that focus day after day. Planning for
months or years ahead can be overwhelming, especially when today feels like too much. It is
fine to focus on today, and today only.

For many of us, life is busy. There is always more to do than time and energy can
accommodate. Some things just have to be left undone. When the bare minimum is covered, be
sure to take the time to check in with loved ones. Pay attention to the people you engage with
every day, take note of changes in their behavior, and do not hesitate to ask if there is anything
you can do to help when you see signs that anyone is overwhelmed. Even if you do not get to
talk to your friends every day, send a message to let them know you are thinking of them, that
you will make time for them, and that they can reach out if they need anything.

If you know someone is going through a particularly difficult time, think about what you can do to
help, then make a specific offer. This is much better than asking them what you can do to help.
Money is often—not always—at the root of the issue. In these cases, if it is within your means,
give them money. This gives them the independence to do what they consider a priority,
whether it is buying grocery, paying a bill, or filling a prescription. Sometimes, it is better to just
do what needs to be done. If you can drop off a meal, tell them. If you make a payment on one
of their bills, say so. If you have a few friends who can get together to clean the person’s house,
offer to do that. If you can pick up their children from school, ask if they would like that. There
are many ways to be friend, to be in community, and to let people know they are not alone.

If you are struggling with mental health issues, reach out for help. Mental Health and
Psychosocial Support Helplines are 816-3799, 812-0576, and 815-5850. The phone number for
assistance in Creole is 454-2993. For children and parents, the phone number is 819-7652. The
Community Counseling and Assessment Center phone number is 323-3293.

Recommendations

1. Read A Mouth Full of Salt by Reem Gaafar with Feminist Book Club. On Wednesday,
October 16, Feminist Book Club, hosted by Equality Bahamas and Poinciana Paper Press, will
meet to talk about this book set in Sudan. The New Arab said, “A Mouth Full of Salt skilfully
recounts the nuanced history of two countries that were divided long before they had any say in
the matter. Gaafar approaches this narrative with compassion, confronting uncomfortable truths
head-on.”

2. Go to the opening of two exhibitions at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas on Thursday,
September 19. It Comes From the Head: A Straw Heritage, curated by Simone Cambridge,
includes artists Tamika Galanis, Anina Major, Jodi Minnie, and Averia Wright. The exhibition
“encourages the recognition of straw work’s stake in the nation’s cultural fabric as a
contemporary mode of expression.” A Small Remainder of Teeth: Eco-Horror and the Anti-
Paradise, curated by Letitia Pratt, features artists John Beadle, Stan Burnside, John Cox,
Michael Edwards, Sonia Farmer, Dwight Ferguson, Blake Fox-Belcher, and Kendal Hanna. It
“brings together works by artists who engage with these unsettling themes, highlighting the
tension between the human and non-human, and examining the deep-seated vulnerabilities shaped by both colonial histories of ecological violence and current climate realities.” The
exhibitions open on September 19 at 7pm.

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Stop normalising gender violence

Cases of gender-based violence against women continue to be in the news on a daily basis. With little or no ongoing work to prevent gender-based violence against women and girls and insufficient resources allocated to intervention, women and girls are experiencing violence in many forms, and repeatedly.

A 26-year-old man who met a 14-year-old girl on Instagram in 2022 pleaded guilty to “unlawful sexual intercourse”. He will return to court on September 18 for sentencing.

A 20-year-old man admitted to “injuring his girlfriend and assaulting her with a knife”. He threatened to kill the woman. The news report stated that he “lost his temper” during an argument. He was sentenced to three months for causing harm and five months for assault with a dangerous instrument, and the sentences are to be served concurrently.

These people were not under the impression that what they were doing was right. Certainly, the 26-year-old knew that he was raping the 14-year-old girl as no one under the age of 16 can give consent. The 20-year-old man definitely knew that assaulting his girlfriend with a knife and without a knife was a criminal offence. Why did they act violently?

Were they trying to make a point? Were they trying to assert authority? Did they want to appear dominant? Did they want to have power and control over someone else? What makes violence the go-to when there are ways that we can actually fulfill our needs to communicate, to respect ourselves and be respected, and to take control of our own lives?

Violence, in all of its forms, has been normalised in The Bahamas. Many believe that violence is an appropriate response to a variety of situations. “What did you do to make him do that?” is a victim-blaming question that is often asked of survivors of domestic violence and intimate partner violence. It suggests that there is cause and effect—that person who experienced violence caused it, and that the perpetrator was violent for a reason. Violence, however, is not reasonable. It is not a reasonable response to any situation or event. It is not a reasonable way to express emotion.

Violence has long been regarded by Bahamians as a solution. It is regarded as one of the most foundational tools of parenting. Children are beaten for failing to behave in the ideal manner, getting lower grades in school that parents and guardians want to see, not making the best decisions at all times, going through development (including changes in their bodies), being unable to regulate their emotions at all times, having natural reactions to situations, and crying when they are beaten. There are many other “reasons” that children are beaten. The beatings that children are subjected to vary widely.

Some adults hit children repeatedly with hands. Some adults hit children with objects like shoes and power cords. Some adults pinch and poke children. Some adults punch and kick children. Some adults take children by the neck and throw them against walls. Shout obscenities at their children and threaten to hit them, put them out, take them to the police station to be beaten, or send them to someone else who, presumably, does not have the means to provide for them. Destroy their children’s belongings. Record and publicly share videos of themselves verbally and/or physically assaulting their children.

It is all violence. It is a failure of parents and guardians to effectively communicate with children, regulate their own emotions, deprioritise their egos, and be led by love—not fear or the desire to instill it in others—as they raise their children with the respect and discipline that eschews violence.

People learn violence early. Children are taught, through the actions of adults, that violence is a way to respond to their emotions. Violence is the response when feelings are hurt. Violence is the response when there is a feeling of disrespect. Violence is the response when there is the feeling of embarrassment. Violence is the way to coerce someone into taking a particular action. Violence is the way to instill fear. Violence is the way to assert dominance. This is what we are led to believe when violence, and the fear of violence, form our discipline.

Violence is, in fact, the way of the cowardly, the ignorant, the lazy, the underdeveloped. Violence is a failure to communicate. It is the failure to experience and process emotions. It is the failure to lose and to then move on. Violence is indicative of an incompatibility with humanity which requires us to have experiences that prompt feelings, to then experiences those feelings, and to understand what those feelings mean, even when it means sitting in the discomfort or vulnerability of being seen as human.

When violence is taught, by demonstration, from childhood, what are we to do about the challenges we face as we get older and both our needs and responsibilities change? What can we expect from one another when we are under stress and many factors are completely out of our control? What standard do we currently hold ourselves and one another to, especially as we navigate crises from the devastation of hurricanes and the impact of COVID-19 to difficult relationships and precarious living situations?

Far too many people turn to violence, expecting it to make them feel and appear more powerful. They use it to shut people up. They use it to make people talk. They use it to make money. They use it to make a name for themselves. They use it to send messages. “They” are not always the criminals that comes to mind. “They” are not just the young men on the street. “They” are not just people on the run. “They” are people in high places and in not-so-high places where decisions are made.

Over the past few days, public discussion has centered the horrific text messages, videos, and photos that have been circulating via WhatsApp and other social media platforms. The violence displayed in them is disgusting, terrifying, and gratuitous. The way people are fiends for graphic images, publicly asking for the material to be sent to them, is sickening. It is a clear indication of the way many have been desensitised not only to the idea of violence, but the display of it. How different from the person who inflicts violence is the depraved person who wants to watch it happen?

How can we continue to pretend to be shocked by the rate and extent of murder and other violent crime in The Bahamas, knowing that many people around us teach it, practice it, and delight in it? People who claim to care about various issues related to national development and human rights are laughing about a recent murder and the graphic material circulating. These are signs of people who are peaceful or peace-loving. These are not signs of people who are concerned about the safety or wellbeing of people in The Bahamas.

While this case is discussed, along with the way positions and relationships to people in positions of power protect certain people, no matter what they do, let us not forget the sitting Member of Parliament charged for rape and making death threats. Everyone is not treated equally. Not the violent, and not the violated. Justice, all too often, takes a very long time to come.

Recommendations

1. Join Feminist Book Club this month. We are reading Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀’s Stay With Me which was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for fiction. Nigerians Yejide and Akin fell in love in university and got married, decided that polygamy was not for them. After for years of trying, they have not been successful in conceiving. Yejide is doing everything she can, but what is she supposed to do when a new wife for Akin is delivered to their doorstep? The Guardian called it a “bright, big-hearted demonstration of female spirit, as well as the damage done by the boundlessness of male pride”. Join Equality Bahamas and Poinciana Paper Press for Feminist Book Club on Wednesday, September 18 at 6pm EDT. Register at tiny.cc/fbc2024 to receive information on our monthly meetings.

 

2. The Braxtons. This reality television show following The Braxton family comes four years after the last season of Braxton Family Values aired. In March 2022, Traci Braxton died of esophageal cancer at the age 50. Three episodes in, the first season of this new show starring the Braxton sisters and their mother, Ms E (Evelyn Braxton), focus on their grief alongside their promise to Trina that they would stay close. Sometimes funny, sometimes deeply saddening, the show can be hard to watch, especially for anyone experiencing grief. It can be helpful for people whose loved ones are grieving as it shows some of the different ways that grief can look, how differently people, even in the same family, process grief, and the long-term support that is needed.

Published in The Tribune on August 28, 2024.

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Pride in July

At Equality Bahamas, we host Pride events throughout the month of July. In many parts of the world, Pride events take place in June, often marked by a march. Even with information at our fingertips, people pretend not to understand what Pride is or why it exists, or they insist on maintaining their ignorance. Pride is the commemoration of the struggle for civil rights and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people and the entire LGBTQI+ community. It is most often held in June in honor of the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City. On June 28, 1969, police showed up to raid the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street. Rather than go through what seemed to have become a routine raid, patrons refused to comply. Instead, they resisted. There are many accounts of what happened in the wee hours of that Saturday morning, and from different vantage points. It is absolutely clear, in all accounts, that this led to a week of protests—a turning point for LGBTQI+ people and the beginning of a movement. 

Over the past 50 years, many changes have been made to laws and policies as the movement strengthened and called attention to the humanity and, by extension, the human rights of LGBTQI+ people. While the seeds of positive change have spread to every region, they have not taken root everywhere, or even in the same ways where they have. While LGBTQI+ movements advocate for same-sex marriage in some countries, LGBTQI+ movements in other countries are still working toward decriminalization of same-sex intimacy. Priorities not only vary from region to region, but also from one country to another. 

In the Caribbean, decriminalization is a priority, and there have been several successes over the past eight years since Belize decriminalized same-sex intimacy—the first country to do so since The Bahamas in 1991. The work ahead, throughout the region, is immense, both in securing legal protection from discrimination and violence and in changing the mindset of societies that have been forced to believe, through slavery, colonization, and religious fundamentalism, that LGBTQI+ people are subhuman and should not have human rights. LGBTQI+ people are human beings and have human rights which include the right to life, liberty, and security of person. These are all threatened when laws, policies, and social attitudes leads to violence and discrimination against LGBTQI+ people.

The risk of violence and discrimination historically led to LGBTQI+ people hiding their identities. To refer to it as shame is to oversimplify and mischaracterize what was happening, and what continues to happen today. While people certainly tried and try to convince us all that being LGBTQI+ people is shameful, people and the systems they created and continue to uphold have proven that it is unsafe to honest and authentic as LGBTQI+ people. The environment was created to force silence and the punishment for breaking the silence was shame. We see enough examples of the harassment, disrespect, discrimination, and violence meted out against LGBTQI+ people today to easily imagine what it was like decades ago.

Pride was a response to the shame that was forced upon LGBTQI+ people. It was a decision to stand when expected to cower. It was a refusal to be invisible. Pride was an opportunity to become and to exude the opposite of the misplaced shame. It still is. 

When hateful people hear about Pride, they often project their own ideas onto it. They only understand pride to be rooted in ego because that is the pride they feel and practice. They take great exception to Pride—both the name and the related activities—because they count on their violence and discrimination creating environments where LGBTQI+ people feel unsafe and have little or no choice but to operate from a place of shame or fear of being shamed or bringing shame to their loved ones. When LGBTQI+ people reject shame and decide to not only love and respect self, but to demonstrate it and to offer that love and respect to others, they defeat the hatred so carefully nurtured by those who are (rather kindly) referred to as “homophobes.”

Pride is the rejection of the expectation that LGBTQI+ people hide, make themselves invisible, and live in shame. It is the decision to be in community, publicly. It is the continuation of the Stonewall Riots of 1969. It is a reminder that we all walk the same earth, and no one deserves to be more alive, living more fully, than anyone else. It is time together, in community, being spent on activities that matter to the participants. It is (taking the) freedom to be. 

In countries like the U.S. and the UK, Pride is a party. There are joyful marches, complete with singing and dancing, live performances, and giveaways on the street. There are festive outfits. There are events that precede and follow the parade, from brunches and panel discussions to concerts and drag shows. Pride tends to evolve with the environment. It takes a celebratory tone where more rights have been affirmed and articulated in the law. Some countries that have made less progress also have LGBTQI+ organizations and movements that choose to make Pride as festive as possible, recognizing it as one of the few times that LGBTQI+ people can be together, in a large group, occupying public space. 

At Equality Bahamas, we focus on the LGBTQI+ community during the Pride. As a result of the violence and discrimination that LGBTQI+ people face, there is often less access to necessary services. In some cases, LGBTQI+ people are able to access education and healthcare, and may be able to find work, but the environments are hostile. There is a need for care, and Equality Bahamas works to fill the gap.

Aware of Pride events in the month of June, Equality Bahamas intentionally hosts Pride events in July, extending the period of time that we focus on the LGBTQI+ community. Member of the community can participate in the June events that have an entirely different purpose, then have the opportunity to connect with community members while looking inward, identifying personal needs, and moving toward fulfilling those needs. Throughout July, Equality Bahamas is offering free yoga sessions with Get Fit Life and group therapy with Jessica the Therapist. LGBTQI+ people interest in accessing these sessions can contact us at equalitybahamas@gmail.com. 

 

Recommendations

  1. Join a book club. This can be a great way to get encouragement to read more, and to add a social element to an otherwise solitary exercise. Articulate your opinions, ask questions, listen to other perspectives, get comparative titles, and widen your social circle. Feminist Book Club, hosted by Equality Bahamas and Poinciana Paper Press is an option. This month, we are reading Where Was Goodbye? by Bahamian author Janice Lynn Mather. We’ll meet to discuss the book on Wednesday, August 21 at 6pm EDT. To join Feminist Book Club, sign up at tiny.cc/fbc2024.

  2. Learn about something outside of your own experience. It is easy to have a dangerously narrow world view, especially if you are not able to travel or regularly engage people living in other places and in other ways. Read a book by an author from another part of the world. Research a religion that is not your own. Listen to a podcast episode about a topic you know very little about. Watch a video that present an argument with which you are not inclined to agree. Think of a country you have made a judgment about on the basis of one fact, and find out why things are that way. When someone presents an opinion that you do not share, instead of arguing, ask them to share their thoughts with you. The point is not to be right, and it is not even to change your mind. The point is to be open to other perspectives and ideas, and to see the world beyond yourself.

  3. Check out (Loud and ) Proud. This mix was created by DJ Ampero for Pride month 2024. Access it on MixCloud at tiny.cc/pridemix24 and Spotify at tiny.cc/pridemusic24. 
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We agreed to protect women – why don’t we?

THE Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women, also known as the Belém do Pará Convention was adopted on June 9, 1994. Belém do Pará is now 30 years old and has been ratified by 32 of the 34 member states of the Organization of American States (OAS). The Bahamas ratified the Convention, obligating it to prevent, investigate, and punish violence against women.

In Article 1, Belém do Pará defines violence against women as “any act or conduct, based on gender, which causes death or physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, whether in the public or the private sphere”. In Article 2, it elaborates with the specific inclusion of violence that “occurs within the family or domestic unit or within any other interpersonal relationship, whether or not the perpetrator shares or has shared the same residence with the woman”, “occurs in the community and is perpetrated by any person” including harassment in the workplace and other institutions, and “is perpetrated or condoned by the state or its agents regardless of where it occurs”.

In addition to the specific mention of the public and private spheres in Article 1, Article 3 specifically states the right of every woman to be free from violence in both the public and private spheres. Article 3 also draws attention to State-condoned violence and, in the Bahamian context, makes it necessary to look at laws that discriminate against women and exclude particular acts of violence or perpetrators of violence.

Articles 1 to 3 are easily applied to the issue of marital rape in The Bahamas and the flimsy excuses put forward by successive governments and anti-rights groups who insist, implicitly, that women are not full human beings and there should be exceptions when violence is perpetrated at home and by spouses. Violence against women is clearly defined, and the Convention explicitly states, twice, that women have the right to be free from violence in the public and private spheres, and perpetrated by any person. This means states are obligated to prevent, investigate, and punish violence enacted against women in the home and violence enacted against women by their spouses.

Articles 7 to 9 are specific to the duties of State Parties. These include their obligation to:

1. apply due diligence to prevent, investigate and impose penalties for violence against women

2. include in their domestic legislation penal, civil, administrative and any other type of provisions that may be needed to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women and to adopt appropriate administrative measures where necessary (This includes the gender-based violence bill, recommended by the CEDAW Committee in 2018 and by member states in the Universal Periodic Review process in 2023. The government committed to pass the bill, but stopped consultation, abandoned the bill, and passed the “Protection Against Violence” Act which does not, in any way, address the specific issue of gender-based violence.)

3. take all appropriate measures, including legislative measures, to amend or repeal existing laws and regulations or to modify legal or customary practices which sustain the persistence and tolerance of violence against women (This includes the amendments to the Sexual Offences Act, removing “who is not his spouse” from the definition of rape, repealing section 15 on “sexual assault by spouse”, adding a statutory definition of consent, and adding a clause of non-immunity on the basis of marriage.)

4. promote awareness and observance of the right of women to be free from violence, and the right of women to have their human rights respected and protected (The CEDAW Committee has recommended that the government ensure that women and girls are aware of their human rights, particularly under the Convention, and there has been no movement toward this in the five years since.)

5. modify social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, including the development of formal and informal educational programs appropriate to every level of the educational process, to counteract prejudices, customs and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or superiority of either of the sexes or on the stereotyped roles for men and women which legitimise or exacerbate violence against women (Related to the previous point, there is no plan and there has certainly been no action by the government to address the issue of gender stereotyping and harmful ideology. This, too, is an obligation through CEDAW, and one that is critical to preventing violence against women and girls.)

6. to ensure research and the gathering of statistics and other relevant information relating to the causes, consequences and frequency of violence against women, in order to assess the effectiveness of measures to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women and to formulate and implement the necessary changes (The gender-based violence, which was never passed, should have included a system for recording and analysing incidents of violence against women and, in particular, femicide, in order to identify risk factors and trends which would aid in developing effective prevention and intervention.)

The Belém do Pará is not often discussed in The Bahamas. We have generally been more attentive to the United Nations human rights mechanisms. While they are useful, it is important that we make better use of regional mechanisms and find ways to learn from other countries in the region that have had success in reducing violence against women and in implementing the Convention in effective ways.

That 30 years have passed since The Bahamas ratified the Convention and few people recognise its name, much less know what it is about and what it contains is a failure of successive government administrations. It is, as we know, not enough to participate in multilateral processes, sign and ratify documents, make commitments, and occasionally report. The general public needs to be made aware of the obligations of the government to protect and expand our human rights. We need to know our rights and how to access them. We need to have a clear understanding of the existing national legislation and how it is contravention with international commitments. We, importantly, need to know that these commitments are to us, and not to an institution. The institutions are vessels and, yes, motivators, and we, the people, are rights holders. It is our right to know our rights, and it is the obligation of the government to ensure that we know them and access them fully.

Published in The Tribune on June 12, 2024.

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Bahamian politics a race to the bottom

It looks like we are in for another race to the bottom. We are now halfway through this term, and the Free National Movement will decide who its leader will be in the coming weeks. While the two candidates, from what we have seen thus far, are quite different, neither inspires confidence. The party itself has a significant amount of work ahead of it to define itself and prove itself to a new generation of voters and the voters who refused to show up for it in 2021. Two and a half years later, this work has not even begun. In fact, it seems to be working against itself. It is not even trying to play the role of Opposition, failing to draw attention to the governance failures, failing to offer solutions, and failing to model better practices.

Member of Parliament for St. Anne’s seemed to be upset by the announcement that The Bahamas now recognises Palestine as a state. The Bahamas took far too long to take this step, particularly as we witness, on a daily basis, the settler colonialism and genocide, by Israel, of Palestine and the Palestinian people. The Bahamas was the last CARICOM country to recognise Palestine as a state, and this is an embarrassment. White has now added to the embarrassment by his weak attempt to challenge it, and using “traditional allies” to do it. He said, “Our traditional allies, Madam Speaker, are countries that we haven’t aligned our position with, and I find that on such an important international issue, now it’s a national issue.”

The genocide of the Palestinian people has been an issue at the international, regional, and national levels for years, and without recognition of the same. As stated in the Caribbean Feminist Statement Against Israel’s Settle Colonial Project and Ongoing Genocide in Palestine, “We, Caribbean people, who have arisen from histories of genocide, enslavement, indentureship, and colonialism, remain firm and unwavering against all attempts at settler colonialism, apartheid, arbitrary arrests and detention, displacement and forced exile, confiscation of land and territories, sexual violence, and other human rights violations carried out by any State against any ethnic, racial, or geographic population. These images of violence are all too familiar.”

Over the past 228 days, we have seen the displacement of over 900,000 people from Gaza. We have seen the destruction of schools, mosques, and hospitals. We have watched as journalists report on the conditions with the eery sound of weapons flying overhead. We have read about the hunger, seen the images of injuries and death, and heard the cracks in the voices of thousands of people who continue to speak against the violence they are experiencing without end and call on us, the rest of the world, whoever our allies may be, to help them.

When we, human rights advocates, call on the government to fulfill its obligation to protect, promote, and ensure access to human rights, there is talk of “sovereignty.” When we reference the United Nations human rights mechanisms that The Bahamas has voluntarily adopted and ratified, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), “sovereignty” comes up. When the United States Embassy flies the PRIDE flag at its locations, “sovereignty” is thrown around. For some reason, though, when it comes to The Bahamas taking a principled position — the right position — on the statehood of Palestine, it is time for The Bahamas to worry about its allies and their wishes. Why might that be? There are far too many people in positions of leadership who are ill-equipped, unprepared, and generally opposed to human rights, regardless of sovereignty or allyship. It seems, in fact, that they are playing a game that has nothing to do with the wellbeing of the people they claim to serve.

White said, “[…] the people of this nation, Madam Speaker, should be informed I think on a more regular basis on why some of these international decisions are being made, why we are agreeing one way or the other.”

He said this about the decision by The Bahamas to recognize Palestine as a state. He did not say this about countless other decisions made by the Government of The Bahamas with no announcement at all. There are no questions about the financial bills that are pushed through quickly and without consultation. There are no questions about the way The Bahamas votes at the United Nations on a regular basis. There are no questions about participation in InterAmerican processes or the decisions made therein. The continued failure of government officials to disclose assets is not a conversation this week. Why might that be?

Several human rights advocates have been calling on the government to communicate with the general public about its commitments and activities in international spaces. In fact, we have used international spaces and processes to demand that the government inform the Bahamian people of its commitments and to make human rights mechanisms accessible to the public. When we talk about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it should not be a cloudy concept for the general public, but a clear set of rights that we all can easily apply to their own lives, even if we cannot perfectly recite them. When we reference CEDAW, it should not evoke fear. When we remind the country that migrants are human beings with human rights, it should not be surprising or confusing. Perhaps successive administrations have enjoyed the low access to information for the general public which enables them to distract, to lie, and to create enemies of human beings rather than the inequitable systems we live within. Migrant people have always been scapegoats of choice, haven’t they?

It is no surprise that Minnis is not only running for leadership of the Free National Movement again, but that he is so easily and confidently referencing his spectacular failure from 2017 to 2021 — which even he was in a rush to escape with a nonsensically early general election — saying “Let’s do it again,” is a sure sign of delusion or confidence that, in a race to the bottom, he is a good bet.

Rather than focusing on the state of the country, largely due to his egotistical, sloppy, tyrannical “leadership” and the current administration that is taking full advantage of the terrible precedent set in many areas, including undisguised abhorrence for the press, he has taken aim at some of the most vulnerable people in the country. Instead of acknowledging the harm already done by terrible decisions and devastating inaction, he is going the lazy route of scapegoating Haitian migrants. He said that he would “aggressively deport all undocumented people” and claimed he would regularize those who have been in The Bahamas for a long time. These two promises are not aligned. The first is, in fact, quite troubling when we should know what is happening right now in Haiti. (It is important that we do not pretend that he was talking about all migrants. He meant, as they always mean, Haitian migrants).

Pintard, on the other hand, said the Free National Movement should not “make every immigrant a tyrant”. He pointed to willingness to collaborate and a duty to solve problems. It is cause for concern that these conversations do not seem to be taking place within the party and, importantly, across the obvious factions. Is there no clear direction for the party? No shared values? No clarity on what leadership means and looks like in practice?

We have not seen strong leadership from Pintard who has been in the ideal position to demonstrate his ability over the past few years. The current Opposition has fallen into the same practices as every Opposition before it, opposing for the sake of it, criticizing at every turn, and offering no solutions. It is old, it is tired, it is ineffective, and it serves no one. This is unfortunate, not only for a party that is vying for leadership in the next general election, but for the people of The Bahamas who need a true, properly functioning Opposition.

Anyone who is serious about leading a political party, not to mention leading a country, must demonstrate their values. These are not centering hatred of people or particular groups of people. Values are indicative of positions on pressing issues. People who are serious about leadership are clear in their positions. If they cannot decide for themselves, they certainly cannot be trusted to listen to and make decisions in the best interest of others. When will the Progressive Liberal Party and the Free National Movement figure out who they are and where they stand on critical issues? How will they communicate their identities to us? What will it take for them to be truly people-centred? Who, within these parties, are leaders with the competence to listen, learn, collaborate, communicate, and act with the most vulnerable in mind? If it takes anywhere near two more years to see manifestos and charters, we need to be clear that there are no leaders in these parties, and there are no parties prepared to lead.

Published in The Tribune on May 22, 2024.

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