NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Press Secretary Clint Watson issued an apology yesterday over his “inaccurate” claims that women’s rights groups were “quiet” on the marital rape issue.
“During last week’s Press Conference, I made inaccurate comments about the efforts of women’s rights groups in our country, I sincerely apologise,” Watson said in a statement.
“I should have been more aware of their active involvement in the consultation process. The Attorney General has briefed me on the ongoing stakeholder meetings regarding draft legislation. The consultations are being led by the Department of Gender Affairs in the Ministry of Social Services, supported by the Office of the Attorney General.
Watson added: “This issue is deeply-felt around The Bahamas. We all want to see Bahamians participate in the ongoing national dialogue regarding protecting women in our country.”
Watson’s comments sparked outrage from activists last week who questioned whether it was an intentional attempt to silence their efforts.
Equality Bahamas Director Alicia Wallace said Watson’s comments were completely untrue.
Wallace noted the country will report to the Human Rights Council in several months, and following that, to The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adding the government is expected to uphold the policies of those entities having signed on to them.
”Activists have been speaking up on this issue for years as the press Secretary and someone who was once a part of the fourth estate we know that he is very aware of statements that have been made by equality Bahamas. […] and anyone who is worth their salt working in the government, particularly on issues of human rights will know all of this,” she said.
Wallace told Eyewitness News that policymakers need to be more accountable for following through with their commitments with international human rights organizations and taking a stance against ‘marital rape’ is in line with those policies.
She said: ”I don’t think that there should be a question of whether or not the government is going to pass the bill, decriminalize marital rape. We do see some of our recommendations have been taken into consideration which is how we know that the government knows that human rights groups are speaking up.”
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