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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
Members of the activist group Solidarity242, who are asking Bahamians to support the Marco’s Law Viral Protest geared toward agitating for government to provide Bahamians with a Sex Offenders Registry & MARCO Alert system. Solidarity242 is a non-profit activist group with no political affiliations. The goal of Solidarity242 is to empower Bahamians as it advocates for transparency and accountability within government. While Marco’s Law is the groups primary focus for the moment, they are also planning to address Mortgage Relief Legislation, Education, Unemployment and other issues affecting Bahamians.
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Nassau, Bahamas - The non-profit, activist group Solidarity242 is urging Bahamians to join its Viral Protest designed to push government into activating the Sex Offenders Registry and MARCO Alert system for missing children. “It has been five years since The Bahamas was rocked by the brutal death of Marco Archer and yet Marco’s Law is not fully functional. There is no Sex Offenders Registry, there is no MARCO Alert,” said Kishlane Knowles, co-founder of Solidarity242. “Our children are being left vulnerable and we as Bahamians have to push back and demand that the government does its part in protecting our children, as promised.”
In 2013, Freeport saw the loss of five (5) young boys, all of whom went missing, all of whom were murdered. In June of 2015, Minister for Social Services, Melanie Griffin revealed in her 2015/2016 Budget Address that there had been an increase in the reported cases of sexual abuse and incest incidents involving children. In 2016 a retired police officer plead guilty to molesting three siblings. “Sexual predators are walking among us, nameless and faceless. We don’t know who they are until they have hurt a child. When a child goes missing there is no systematic way of alerting the general public immediately. How many children between 2011 and 2016 could have been saved from sexual abuse and/or abduction had the government implemented the elements involved in Marco’s Law? Let’s really think about that,” Knowles said.
On July 22nd at 6p.m. Bahamians all over the country and abroad are being asked to visit the Marco’s Law Viral Protest event on the Solidarity242 Facebook page for ways they can get involved in the Social Media demonstration. “There will be hashtags, a temporary profile picture for supporters to download and two other elements that we are keeping under wraps until Friday’s launch”, revealed Selina Archer, who created the Viral Protest concept and plan specifically for Solidarty242. Archer went on to say, “The Protest has been designed to be inclusive of all Bahamians no matter what island they live on or what country they live in. The beauty of the Viral Protest is that all the activities can be done online from the comfort of a smart phone, tablet or computer.”
Ms. Knowles along with Solidarity242 co-founders Lisa Davis and Shenique Fisher will use the social push to aggressively pursue answers from government once the protest has finished. Said Davis, who operates Solidarity242 Freeport Chapter, “We are so proud of all of our members who have been sharing and inviting friends on FB and Tweeting to make Bahamians aware of the protest.”
Added Ms. Fisher, “The response from the public has been very positive. We are optimistic that Bahamians will use the platform to collectively push government into activating the Sex Offenders Registry & MARCO Alert. The more people involved, the more power we have when demanding answers for Bahamians.”
Solidarty242 Facebook Page
Marco’s Law Viral Protest Facebook Event Page
Solidarity Twitter Handle: @Solidarity242
Hashtags: #justiceforMarco #MarcosLaw #protectourchildren #Solidarity242
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