NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The lack of dedicated spaces for shelter inhabitants to have consensual sex was flagged as a special area of concern in a recent Ministry of Health (MOH) Situation Report.
The report, dated October 25, outlines the delivery of health care services to those impacted by Hurricane Dorian and points to several sexual and reproductive health (SRH) problems identified by the ministry and its partners.
Among those issues noted are the “potential risks for unwanted pregnancy”, and the lack of “identified spaces dedicated to accommodate consensual coitus among shelter inhabitants”.
The report noted while 60 boxes of condoms were dispersed at all shelter sites, safe sexual spaces have still not been identified.
It called for “further discussion required with family planning methods on shelter sites”.
“Kendal Isaacs Gym Shelter [is] not encouraging or providing private spaces for sexual activity,” the report read.
“No place of identification at Calvary H. Baptist Church shelter for private sexual activity. Pastors are unwilling to provide a space [and] the box of condoms shared for the shelter were not accepted.”
However, the report noted the church shelter was expected to close last week and those individuals would be amalgamated with the shelter population at the gymnasium.
An earlier MOH report outlined similar concerns expressed by the United Nations Population Fund on Gender Based Violence (UNFPA GBV), regarding the access to SRH services by those in shelters.
“Condoms and DepoProvera were the most required family planning methods, but women in the shelters said they couldn’t access them,” the October 1 report noted.
“…The importance of STI service provision, including treatment, was recognized as people are sexually active even during the emergencies. The process for maternal care was outlined as well as procedures for emergency (deliveries), the emergency ambulance can be called, while from the islands, the emergency flight can be scheduled immediately.”
Steps have been taken to address these issues. The latest report also outlines resolutions or actions taken to address the concerns.
The document notes that a new incoming UNFPA representative would like to have a training session to encourage sexual health.
“The need for informing shelter managers was stressed that despite personal opinions and preferences, the need to ensure private and safe sexual activity is happening for the respect of the entire shelter population and protection/ safeguarding/ no access for the children,” it added.
According to the National Emergency Management Agency, there were 796 people living in six shelters across New Providence as of Friday.
If you have no place to go or no job, sex should be the last thing on your mind .The churches should not be ashamed to pass out condoms this is to prevent pregnancy. In a bad time like this .
Why should it be the last thing? ? when it hasn’t been the last thing for a millennia. Life always finds a way to thrive despite hostile conditions….especially when it is a apart of a peoples culture.
It is a problem 11 million people in Haiti. The poorest place in the Caribbean, why would you bring children in that environment. They are illegally in the Bahamas having more children there for our government to take care of it’s ridiculous . And then when they are stateless you want to complain . Get your priorities in order first before having sex and bringing another mouth to feed by are government . You are in the Bahamas now not Haiti.
It continues to elude me why persons with jobs and the ability to take care of another human being would bring into this wretched earth another human being to suffer. We ought to be above that at this stage in the game.
If you are here legally and have a job and a root over your head and can feed them and they will not be stateless then have as many kids you want. But if you are here illegally then you need to protect yourself and practice safer sex, so you and the children will not be vulnerable to deportation.
Time like this thy need to focus on getting back on there feet
The shelter is not their home or apartment so why do they even feel comfortable wanting to have sex there? Smt. Like others said, they need to be more concerned about getting their lives back in order and sex should not be at the top of their priority list!!! It seems as if they want to make these shelters their permanent residences. Funny thing is the Haitian Church Shelter is ready to close its doors on its own people but they are not making noise about that when they had so much to say about what head person of the other shelter allegedly said. Smh
But it’s not
We are all animals, which animal y’all know of stopped their activities that are natural? Only the ones that are dead and scared. Other than that, only parts of what was unnatural was destroyed, not the natural. Afterwards, everything that was before goes on, as it was before, unchanged, and unfettered by mostly unnatural comments here!
Ted you are making no sense .Now 300 Haitians in the shelter has scabies . What’s next . There is no place for them to go , so if you are illegally here time to go . This is unsanitary it’s not clean and this should not be a permanent place to stay .
And Ted everything should not just go on, like if nothing happen because it did , now our island is stuck with thousands of undocumented Haitians, that should not have been in Abaco if the government was doing its job. We have Bahamian people with no place to stay and no job who is helping them, why should our government help illegals before it’s own people . Bahamians cannot build a house without the proper permits, but yet the Haitians build a couple hundred houses in the Mudd and without proper permits . Now they feel like they have rights in Abaco and is untitled to a piece of land ,I am happy that everything is out in the open because I never knew about those Haitians was on Abaco illegally. Now they are doing something about it .