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.