"Our Children, Our future" Demonstration, Clifford Park (Photo: Ted Forbes)
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Nassau, Bahamas - On the eve of The Bahamas 42nd anniversary of
Independence, while most were celebrating the local festivities under
the theme, "Our Children, Our Future," a group gathered at Clifford Park
for a silent demonstration to bring awareness to "Child Protection."
Attorney and activist, Tavarrie Smith was the brainchild behind the event, which was organised by Terneille Burrows, founder of Rise Bahamas.
Other participants hailed from groups including The Change Movement and
Families of All Murder Victims (FOAM). Some attendees in the vicinity
of the demonstration snapped photos of the placards while others stopped
to asked questions about some of the headlines that they were not
familiar with. Although one or two people in the crowd complained about
not being able to see the stage because signs obscured their view, the
reception was largely a positive one. The demonstration was sustained
throughout the duration of the four hour program.
“We have too long been silent about the many crimes being perpetrated
against our most vulnerable citizens. Our group seeks to raise public
awareness on the issues and create a greater sense of urgency for
measures to be properly implemented to effectively tackle child abuse
through a multidimensional approach. Agitating the government to pass
and enact related laws goes hand in hand with ensuring citizens start to
take more preventative measures and increase reporting.” Terneille went
on to commend agencies like the National Child Protection Council and
Bahamas Crisis Centre for their work, but is appealing to government,
community organisations, civil society and corporate entities to do
more.
Activist Gregory Collie said that he supports the fight to protect
our children, as they are future of the nation. “We just need more
people to stand up and defend our kids,” he stated.
Affiliated community groups have submitted various appeals to
the government calling for increased public awareness campaigns,
separate family and sexual offences courts, more funding for safe
houses, enactment of certain Child Protection Act components and a seat
at the table to review and evaluate Marco’s Law, including the proposed
sex offender registry regulations. Documents can be found here.
"Our Children, Our future" Demonstration, Clifford Park (Photo: Ted Forbes)
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"Prey" poster images (bottom right) are by artist Carla Campbell
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"Our Children, Our future" Demonstration, Clifford Park (Photo: Ted Forbes)
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