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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
UNITED NATIONS, New York – The Bahamas joined its fellow Member States of the United Nations in ratifying the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities during the United Nations General Assembly held at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, United States of America. Ratification took place on Monday, September 28, 2015. Ratification of the convention commits States Parties to the terms and conditions of the convention and includes putting those terms into national legislation – something The Bahamas has already done. Minister of Social Services and Community Development, the Hon. Melanie Sharon Griffin deposited The Bahamas’ Instrument of Ratification on behalf of the Government and the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Mrs. Griffin told the assembly that The Bahamas remains committed to advancing the rights of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society. Ratification of the Convention, the Minister said, was further proof of this. “It is my distinct pleasure as the Minister of Social Services and Community Development for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to once again reaffirm The Bahamas’ commitment to the rule of law and the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Mrs. Griffin said. “Two years ago (September 24, 2013) I signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities on behalf of the Government and the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, making The Bahamas the 157th country to do so. “At that time, I made a commitment to enact national legislation on disabilities to enable The Bahamas to ratify – at the earliest opportunity – the Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities. In July 2014 The Bahamas Parliament unanimously passed the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities) Bill. This morning, I deposited The Bahamas’ Instrument of ratification to effect the country’s ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities. “This is a significant achievement which was done in a little over three years after the current Government’s return to office in May 2012,” Mrs. Griffin added. Minister Griffin also deposited the Instruments of Accession to the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children; Child Prostitution and Child Pornography while in New York. The Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, seeks to limit the use of children in armed conflict and to raise the minimum age for recruitment and actual participation in hostilities to 18 years of age; while the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography draws special attention to the criminalization of serious violations of children’s rights while also protecting the rights and interests of victims. Mrs. Griffin informed the assembly that The Bahamas has enacted “strong legislation” in the form of the Child Protection Act, 2007 which incorporates some of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Sexual Offences Act that addresses, inter alia (among other things), the criminalization of child pornography in The Bahamas as two of the means in which the country will ensure the rights of children are protected. “In addition, an aggressive media public education campaign on preventing all forms of abuse against children is ongoing in cooperation with the National Child Protection Council (NCPC), other government agencies and civil society partners. “In conclusion, I extend my sincere thanks to my parliamentary colleagues, the entire staff of the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development and to other relevant government agencies and members of civil society -- in particular those organizations who work on behalf of persons with disabilities and children – for their unwavering support and commitment in helping us to achieve this milestone.”
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