Human Rights Activists Dr. Sandra Dean-Patterson, Marion Bethel, Noelle Nicolls and Donna Nicolls, Steering Committee members, delivered a statement in Rawson Square on the referendum and the government’s commitment on equality.
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Nassau, New Providence - (Statement) As violence against women continues to escalate in the
Bahamas, Citizens for Constitutional Equality (CCE) call on the government to
make a decision on the pending Constitutional Referendum, and remove all
uncertainty over the Country’s position on constitutional equality and nondiscrimination
against men and women on the basis of sex. Both the call of history and the
demands of justice require an end to this discrimination, and for the granting
of access to the full fruits of freedom and equality for all.
The Government’s mixed signals are creating confusion and
distrust, showing disregard for the thousands of Bahamians who stand ready to
vote in support of equality, not to mention the Bahamians whose lives hang in
the balance, questioning whether their hope for change is false.
Equality is a basic human right, affirmed by the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and the Bahamian Constitution, which states: “Whereas
every person in The Bahamas is entitled to the fundamental rights and freedoms
of the individual, that is to say, has the right, whatever his race, place of
origin, political opinions, colour, creed or
sex.”
The Government has a history of declaring and affirming its
support for gender equality when speaking on international platforms, and in
conventions signed on behalf of the Bahamian people. The seemingly indefinite
delay on this important domestic issue runs contrary to our shared commitment
to equality.
In the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), ratified in 1993, the Government
committed to “condemn discrimination against women in all its forms and pursue
by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating
discrimination against women,” along with a host of other actions. Citizens for
Constitutional Equality is counting on the Government to demonstrate its
commitments in action not in words.
The Government also committed to modifying social and
cultural patterns to eliminate prejudices based on the idea of the inferiority
or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for women and
men. This commitment is of supreme
importance in light of the ongoing epidemic of violence against women. Violence
against women thrives in an environment where inequality and the rigid
application of gender stereotypes go unchecked.
Citizens for Constitutional Equality calls on the government
to set a date for the referendum without haste and provide a minimum of four
months preparation time for a thorough public education campaign. We will not stand
for an indefinite postponement and neither should the Government. For the
benefit of the country, the Government should be forthright about its
intentions and demonstrate its position with decisive action. The public
wavering and mixed signals serve only to hamper the cause and to undermine the
integrity of the Government’s stated commitment to equality.
About CCE
Citizens for Constitutional Equality (CCE) is a
non-partisan, non-sectarian, civil society network of NGOs and women’s groups
and equality advocates that support the vision of constitutional equality for
women and men in The Bahamas. CCE is managed by a Steering Committee consisting
of the following members: Alicia Wallace, Audrey Roberts, Donna Nicolls, Fran
Dillet, Janet Fountain, Marion Bethel, Natalie Bethel, Noelle Nicolls, Sandra
Dean-Patterson.