Press secretary Clint Watson apologises for ‘inaccurate comments’ (The Tribune)

Press

Oct. 19, 2022 – The Tribune

Equality Bahamas founder and co-director, Alicia Wallace featured in The Tribune on October 19, 2022.

From The Tribune:

Meanwhile, Equality Bahamas founder Alicia Wallace told The Tribune yesterday: “We have been vocal, we have been bold, and we have been consistent.

“We are indefatigable. The #Strike5ive campaign by Equality Bahamas was launched in 2020, continuing years of advocacy for the criminalisation of marital rape.”

“It was relaunched, complete with new graphics and clear demands, including the amendment of Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act to remove ‘who is not his spouse’ from the definition of rape, the repeal of Section 15, and the inclusion of a statutory definition of consent.

“All three of these appear in the amendment bill, and this is not a coincidence. It is a result of our fierce advocacy and clarity of message.”

Ms Wallace was responding to press secretary Clint Watson’s comments on Friday about local advocacy groups not being vocal enough regarding the controversial topic.

Activist: Watson’s comments demoralizing (The Nassau Guardian)

Press

Oct. 18, 2022 – The Nassau Guardian

Equality Bahamas founder and co-director, Alicia Wallace featured in The Nassau Guardian on October 18, 2022.

From The Nassau Guardian:

Women’s groups in the country have long advocated for the criminalization of marital rape. In 2022 alone, The Nassau Guardian has published multiple letters to the editor and carried several stories from activists calling on the government to act or give an opinion on the issue.

“It can be quite demoralizing, you know, if you are putting all of your energy and heart and soul and, in many cases, a lot of your money into your advocacy, into activism, into educating the public in trying to sensitize them to these very critical issues and then someone from the government who speaks for the government, comes out and says that you are not there and that you don’t exist,” Wallace said.

“That can immediately exhaust you and discourage you but this is work that women and feminists have been doing for decades and I think we have already proven that we are indefatigable.

“We press on no matter what.”

“OUTRIGHT LIE”: Activist says advocacy groups vocal about marital rape issue (Eyewitness News)

Press
Oct. 18, 2022 — Eyewitness News

Equality Bahamas founder and co-director, Alicia Wallace featured in Eyewitness News on October 18, 2022.

From Eyewitness News:

“What the press secretary said is an outright lie and we are certain that it is intentional that he is making this comment as he did mischaracterizing work of feminists organizations, of women’s rights organizations, painting the picture that we are inactive or that we are silent.” Wallace said.

She added that The Bahamas will, in several months report to the Human Rights Council and following that, to The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the government is expected to uphold the policies of those entities having signed on to them.

Wallace continued: ”So the government has to submit its report, it has to speak for itself and give a reason as for why it doesn’t meet some obligations why it isn’t in full compliance

“So we are certain that Clint Watson is making these statements clearly knowing that they are untrue with the intent of creating this excuse and with the intent also the f trying to discourage activists.”

Watson claimed that activists were ‘silent’ on the marital rape issue implying that government would only act if they hear the cries of the people.

Wallace said that her organization has been persistent for months in communication with the government on issues surrounding the proposed marital rape legislation.

”Activists have been speaking up on this issue for years as the press Secretary and someone who was once a part of the fourth estate we know that he is very aware of statements that have been made by equality Bahamas. […] and anyone who is worth their salt working in the government, particularly on issues of human rights will know all of this,” she said.

Wallace told Eyewitness News that policymakers need to be more accountable for following through with their commitments with international human rights organizations and taking a stance against ‘marital rape’ is in line with those policies.

 

‘Work to be done’ on sex offences act (The Tribune)

Press

Sept. 20, 2022 – The Tribune

Equality Bahamas founder and co-director Alicia Wallace featured in The Tribune on September 20, 2022.

From The Tribune:

 

When contacted for comment, Equality Bahamas Director Alicia Wallace said that she was pleased to see that their recommendations for the draft of the bill was reflected in terms of redefining rape and the issue of consent.

“We also called for a definition of consent, which we did not see at all in the 2018 draft. So again, we’re pleased to see this progress. And we also noticed that the attorney general said that they looked at Guyana and Canada which have definitions of consent. And those were the two countries that we actually recommended we look at kn

owing that they had a very good, very strong definition of consent,” Ms Wallace said.

However, there has been a divided response over the draft bill as some religious leaders expressed their outrage on the proposed rape laws. During the question-and-answer period at the symposium, one pastor called the draft legislation “the wickedest and most demonic” bill in the country’s history.

In response to the criticism from some religious leaders on the draft bill, Ms Wallace said it seems the very “hateful” and “troubling” comments are an ongoing cycle.

“We know that for many years, administration after administration and the government of The Bahamas have bent over backwards to placate the most regressive of religious leaders. And that seems to be continuing where they were given all this space to make very, very hateful, very troubling comments about women about marriage, and really confusing the act of sex, which is consensual with the act of rape, which is violence,” she said.

 

Bishop Hanchell: Wives do not have right to withhold sex (The Tribune)

Press

Sept. 14, 2022 – The Tribune

Equality Bahamas founder and co-director Alicia Wallace featured in Our News on September 14, 2022.

From The Tribune:

When contacted for comment on the bishop’s controversial views, Equality Bahamas Director Alicia Wallace expressed her outrage to this newspaper.

“Hanchell’s comments are vile, rooted in the violent idea that women are less than human and become the property of men if they choose to marry. Dangerously, given his position as a religious leader and the vague references he made to God, he is misleading people who trust and depend on others to read and interpret religious text.

“He conflates his misogynistic beliefs about marriage with the law of The Bahamas — a secular state that must not impose religion on anyone — and it is the law, not the religious beliefs of a group of people, that we are changing,” she said.

The activist stressed there should not be a debate on the need for legal protection from the violent act of rape.

 

‘Govt showing no interest in dealing with marital rape’ (The Tribune)

Press

Sept. 1, 2022 – The Tribune

Equality Bahamas founder and co-director Alicia Wallace featured in The Tribune on September 1, 2022.

From The Tribune:

In response to the judgement, Ms Wallace spoke about the issue regarding the courts tackling the problem.

“The current administration continues to demonstrate its disinterest in addressing the issue of marital rape, putting it off and explicitly stating that it is prioritising other issues. People in situations of vulnerability and pressing social and legal issues are being ignored,” she asserted.

“In this case, we see that a woman was being repeatedly raped by her husband, and the court refuses to acknowledge it as rape, blaming it on the law and abdicating responsibility to use the law to protect human rights. The ruling refers to sex with a wife as a man’s ‘right,’ but does not reference the wife’s actual right to bodily autonomy or safety.

“On August 20, at one of the sessions in our CEDAW (Convention) Speaker Series, committee member Rhoda Reddock focused on Article 5 of the Convention and Bahamian attorney and CEDAW committee member Marion Bethel joined her to talk about the ability of judges to use CEDAW, whether or not it has been domesticated by the state, and this has been done in other countries.

“It is clear that Christian values, morals, and whatever passes for love are not sufficient to ensure a safe, healthy environment or healthy relationships. We have come to depend on the law to distinguish between right and wrong, and on judges to interpret the law. Obviously, both need significant improvements, and it cannot wait.”

Equality Bahamas continues to run the #Strike5ive campaign which advocates for the criminalisation of marital rape in the “most explicit way”.

“The Sexual Offences Act needs to be amended to remove ‘who is not his spouse’ from the definition of rape in Section 3, Section 15 must be repealed, we need a statutory definition of consent along with a clause of non-immunity on the basis of marriage, and there must be no temporal limitation,” Ms Wallace said.

‘Govt should consider new referendum’ (The Nassau Guardian)

Press

Aug. 31, 2022 – The Nassau Guardian

Equality Bahamas’ report on CEDAW featured in The Nassau Guardian on August 31, 2022.

From The Nassau Guardian:

The COG noted that Equality Bahamas’ Shadow Report to CEDAW offers a view on the role of politicians in national discourse on this issue: “The popular excuse from politicians for not making policy changes at the national level is the ‘will of the people,’ but they seldom take on the challenge to make change within their own systems.”

“While the group acknowledges the democratic vote of citizens in this referendum, it is important to educate citizens as to the expansion of rights conferred to women by CEDAW and the benefits to their lives that this brings, particularly as these pertain to democratic and civic participation,” the group stated.

“There is a pressing need for politicians to lead from the front on this issue. The government should ensure that messaging on women’s rights is consistent with CEDAW.

“Further, the government and political parties should meaningfully engage [civil society organizations], human rights groups and the media in strengthening their efforts to educate the public on the provisions of CEDAW and women’s political representation specifically, and seek to shift public attitudes and behavior accordingly.

“The government should strongly consider the announcement of a new referendum on this constitutional change, and the country’s main political parties are urged to provide cross-partisan support for this amendment.”

The group acknowledged that The Bahamas is by no means the only country facing these challenges, and further acknowledged that such a cultural shift in attitudes “will no doubt be incremental”.

The group added, “This process might be aided by a continued increase in the visibility of women in leadership positions in the executive and legislature.

Reparations committee to host panel to mark International Day of People of African Descent (Eyewitness News)

Press

Aug. 30, 2022 – Eyewitness News

Equality Bahamas founder and co-director Alicia Wallace featured in Eyewitness News on August 30, 2022.

From Eyewitness News:

Director of Equality Bahamas Alicia Wallace said: “Working toward social justice and the realization of human rights for all people requires attention to identity, privilege, and power. Racism still exists. To end it, we have to be able and willing to recognize, name, and rebuke it and demand reparations.”

She added: “It is critical that we face our reality as Afro-Caribbean people and drive the movement for racial justice forward.”

Activists demand consultation on criminalization of marital rape (Eyewitness News)

Press
Aug. 23, 2022 – Eyewitness News

Equality Bahamas founder and co-director Alicia Wallace featured in Eyewitness News on August 23, 2022.

From Eyewitness News:

“We have requested the draft amendment bill, and we have requested meetings with the Attorney General and the Minister of Social Services and Urban Development. We have received neither, and note that it was announced earlier this month that the Minister would meet with religious leaders this month,” said Alicia Wallace, Director of Equality Bahamas.

“It is quite telling that the government continues to prioritize religious leaders who frequently oppose the recognition and expansion of women’s human rights while it ignores organizations promoting and advocating for the rights of women.”

The group launched the #Strike5ive campaign to criminalize marital rape on International Women’s Day in 2019 and has since sent recommendations to the government. During the Global 16 Days Campaign in 2021, Equality Bahamas included the criminalization of
marital rape in its six demands. This issue was also included in the 16 recommendations from the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee that were highlighted during the campaign.

The #Strike5ive campaign calls for marital rape to be criminalized through the amendment of Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act—removing “who is not his spouse” from the definition of marital rape—and the repeal of Section 15 on “sexual assault by spouse.” It clearly states that temporal limitations and the requirement of the Attorney General’s consent are unacceptable and harmful.

The campaign also calls for inclusion of a statutory definition of consent and a clause of non-immunity on the basis of marriage.

Wallace said: “We are preparing our reports for treaty bodies this month, and it would be helpful to see the current draft and how it may change following consultation.”

Govt has not provided draft bill to campaigners (The Tribune)

Press

Aug. 22, 2022 – The Tribune

Equality Bahamas founder and co-director Alicia Wallace featured in The Tribune on August 22, 2022.

From The Tribune:

Alicia Wallace, director of Equality Bahamas, said: “We have requested the draft amendment bill, and we have requested meetings with the Attorney General and the Minister of Social Services and Urban Development. We have received neither, and note that it was announced that earlier this month that the minister would meet with religious leaders this month.

“It is quite telling that the government continues to prioritise religious leaders who frequently oppose the recognition and expansion of women’s human rights while it ignores organisations promoting and advocating for the rights of women.”

[…]

Equality Bahamas previously launched the #Strike5ive campaign in 2019 to criminalise marital rape, calling for the amendment of Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act by removing “who is not his spouse” from the definition of rape, and the repeal of Section 15 on “sexual assault by spouse”.

Ms Wallace said: “We are preparing our reports for treaty bodies this month, and it would be helpful to see the current draft and how it may change following consultation.

“Without inclusion in the consultation process, we are left to focus on the government’s failure, thus far, to criminalise marital rape and its refusal to engage civil society in ways that strengthen democracy and prioritise human rights, especially the human rights of people in situations of vulnerability.”