$77,000 raised in Bahamas, $400k across the region
NASSAU, Bahamas - CIBC FirstCaribbean's annual Walk for the Cure has raised the bar yet again, collecting $400,000 across the region and more than $77,000 in donations in the Bahamas in its 2015 fundraising efforts.
In a presentation at the CIBC FirstCaribbean country headquarters on Shirley Street, the Bahamian funds were distributed between eight local cancer charities: Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support Groups of New Providence and Grand Bahama; The Cancer Society of The Bahamas; The Cancer Societies of Abaco, Eleuthera and Grand Bahama; The Cancer Association of Grand Bahama and the One Eleuthera Foundation. Each organization received $9,277.
Shaun Ingraham, of One Eleuthera Foundation, stated he is grateful for the support from CIBC FirstCaribbean and the funds will increase access to care in the Family Islands.
"I want to say thanks to CIBC FirstCaribbean for the generosity of this gift," said Mr. Ingraham. "It means a lot to the women of Eleuthera, Exuma, Long Island, Cat Island and the Central Bahamas. The One Eleuthera Foundation is working with partners like the Cancer Society to house a mammogram machine in Eleuthera. Right now women have to come to Nassau to get mammograms, which can cost over $400 per person; with the mammogram in Eleuthera we can cut it to about $100 and we hope within two years to be serving 1800 mammograms per year."
The Walk for the Cure, held in October, united over 20,000 passionate participants in 17 countries. In the Bahamas, the event attracted nearly 1,000 registrants, boosted by walks held in Abaco, Eleuthera and Grand Bahama for the first time.

ACTIVIST Terneille Burrows yesterday said United Democratic Party Leader Greg Moss' dismissal of claims of cyber bullying by his party's chairman is a very disturbing consistent trend from this country's elected officials, which shows a blatant disregard for violence against women.

A police officer attached to the Urban Renewal Programme has been charged with having sex with a teenage girl. Dwight Rolle, 44, of Spice Street, Pinewood Gardens, did not have a lawyer when he made his initial appearance yesterday before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt on a single charge of unlawful sexual intercourse. Prosecutors allege that Rolle had intercourse with a 15-year-old girl in February and March of 2015. The age of consent is 16.

Rolle was not required to enter a plea to the charge and was granted $5,000 bail with one surety on the condition that he has no contact with the alleged victim. The prosecutor, ASP Clifford Daxon, had no objection to Rolle's release on bail. In making his application for bail, Rolle told Ferguson-Pratt that he needed time to get his affairs in order as the charge took him by surprise. Rolle said, "All this happened in the last two hours."

Asked by the magistrate if he had an opportunity to make a call, Rolle said that he had contacted an lawyer but the lawyer was busy with another matter. Ferguson-Pratt instructed officers to allow Rolle another call to contact his surety. Rolle makes his next court appearance on January 22. At that time, the case is expected to be forwarded to the Supreme Court by a voluntary bill of indictment.

Dear Editor,

Imagine three women anywhere in the world: a celebrity, a friend, a family member. Research suggests that one of these three women will be the victim of gender-based violence at some point during her lifetime. Violence against women is a global epidemic, and every one of us, whether we are aware of it or not, knows a woman or girl who has suffered from such violence. Gender based violence comes in many forms, from intimate partner violence, rape and sexual assault to early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation. Worldwide, one in three women will be physically or sexually abused in her lifetime and one in five will experience rape or attempted rape.

Over 120,000,000 girls have been forced into unwanted sexual activity in their lives. The United Nations reports that violence against women causes more death and disability for women and girls between the ages of 15 and 44 than do cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war combined. Neither the United States nor The Bahamas is immune to this problem. In the United States, statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation indicate that 11,766 American women died as the result of intimate partner violence between 2001 and 2012 - almost double the 6,488 American servicemen and women killed in Afghanistan and Iraq during that same period of time.

In The Bahamas, more than 1,200 cases of domestic violence are reported annually, and across the Caribbean, domestic violence accounts for an astonishing 25 percent of all murders. Gender-based violence is not just a problem for women and girls. It destroys families and communities, hurts economic growth and threatens security by fueling continuing cycles of violence and conflict.

The World Bank calculates that the average country loses as much as 10 percent of its annual economic productivity because of domestic violence. Just imagine the cost to a family when a woman cannot go to work because she has been injured or the cost to an entire economy when a women entrepreneur stops working because she has been targeted. There also are the costs of medical treatment for victims, law enforcement responses to attacks, divorce proceedings and lower grades in school, resulting in worse employment opportunities for children exposed to domestic violence.

Gender-based violence is everyone's problem, and eliminating it will require the concerted efforts of us all, from the international community to civil society, and the thousands of unsung heroes who work to stop violence against women and girls in their own communities. This call to action has led the United States, The Bahamas and countries around the world to recognize November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This date also marks the start of the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, a campaign that calls on each of us - men and women, boys and girls, government officials and community leaders - to help stop gender-based violence.

The United States is committed to being part of this global effort against gender-based violence. Around the world, we support projects to raise awareness and education; provide safe spaces and other services for survivors; and mobilize religious communities, business owners, and community leaders to end this pernicious evil in all its many forms. In The Bahamas, we are working with partners such as the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Education to build the networks and trust needed to prevent violence against women and girls. Each of us also has the power as individuals to take action against gender-based violence.

Support survivors by listening to them and believing in them. Educate men and boys to support women and girls and to stand up against violence. In the words of U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama, "Think about the needs of women and girls with every program you create, with every policy you craft, and with every project you undertake." Everyone benefits when women and girls are healthy and safe, and can contribute their labor, leadership, and creativity to the national good. There is a lot of work that remains to be done, but together we can eliminate gender-based violence, building stronger communities for us all.

- Lisa Johnson, U.S. charge d'affaires