Carnival is great fun for everyone, say organisers (The Tribune)

May 3, 2019 – The Tribune

Equality Bahamas founder and co-director Alicia Wallace featured in The Tribune on May 3, 2019.

From The Tribune:

The BCC’s statement also drew the ire of women’s activist and Equality Bahamas Director Alicia Wallace, who said it is “dangerous” for the organisation to continue to make “reckless, ill-informed statements about sexual violence in its attempt to control women and their bodies.”

[…]

Ms Wallace also critiqued the BCC for its reference to sexual assault.

“It is not only unfortunate, but dangerous that the [BCC] continues to make reckless, ill-informed statements about sexual violence in its attempt to control women and their bodies and use violence against women as a justification for its heavy-handed approach to constraining cultural expression,” she told The Tribune yesterday.

“Rape is completely unrelated to appearance or behaviour and is only caused by perpetrators and those who perpetuate rape culture, including people who victim blame and try to leverage fear of sexual violence to limit women’s access to public space.”

She added this is not the first time the BCC has “contributed to a dangerous environment for women by excusing sexual predators through the incorrect assumption that rape is about sex and men are incapable of controlling themselves.”

Instead of making such statements, Ms Wallace called for religious institutions to provided safe houses and resources for victims and to engage with relevant civil society organisations.