‘Gov’t Stalling on Marital Rape Law’: Activists say women’s rights are not being treated as a priority (The Tribune)
Jan. 17, 2023 – The Tribune
Equality Bahamas founder, Alicia Wallace featured in The Tribune on January 17, 2023.
From The Tribune:
When contacted for comment, Equality Bahamas director Alicia Wallace said women’s rights are not a priority on the government’s agenda.
“By dragging its feet and finding excuses to stall, a clear message is being sent to everyone in The Bahamas that the government is less concerned about women’s right to protection from violence than it is about the issues it attends to and the people it panders to,” Ms Wallace said.
Mr Wilchcombe also told reporters the ongoing consultation includes meetings with church leaders.
‘Gov’t Stalling on Marital Rape Law’: Activists say women’s rights are not being treated as a priority (The Tribune)
“We’re still waiting,” he said. “We haven’t completed (it) yet. We are to move with the president of the Bahamas Baptist Missionary Educational Convention. He wanted to meet with us to discuss a few matters and with members of his church and leadership, we’re waiting for that date.
“We’re hoping to have it done very shortly because in March we intend to have a national women’s convention that will coincide with International Women’s Day,” he said.
However, Ms Wallace said it was “absurd” that the government was waiting on a date to meet with another religious group when there was a symposium held last September which numerous religious leaders attended.
Ms Wallace continued: “The government should not treat this issue as though it is debatable. It is a fact that women are raped, and that in most cases the rapist is known to the victim or survivor. It is a fact that sexual violence is a violation of human rights, and a fact the government is responsible for ensuring that human rights are upheld.
“The criminalization of marital rape is necessary to give married women equal protection under the law and to affirm personhood and bodily autonomy. There is nothing any group can say to make any of that untrue.”
Ms Wallace said successive administrations have moved quickly on other issues while ignoring people in vulnerable situations.
“The Bahamas will go to the UN in a few months for the Universal Periodic Review. The government needs to pass the bill, or explain why, four years after recommendations were made at the last review at UPR as well as CEDAW, it has failed to do so,” she said.
