The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has requested the government implement eight precautionary measures to "ensure the life and physical integrity" of migrants at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.
But the government said many of the concerns expressed by the human rights organizations were
"overstated and inaccurate".
The recommendation were outlined in a report released on Thursday. These measures included providing adequate medical treatment to detainees, addressing the situation of unaccompanied children in accordance with international standards and ensuring legal assistance is available.
The commission also requested the government take immediate action to substantially reduce overcrowding at the center and ensure civil society organizations and relevant international organizations have access to the facility for the "purpose of monitoring detention conditions". IACHR said it made the request based on the "factual and legal arguments" presented by several non-governmental organizations, which visited the facility on November 12, 2014.
The organizations named were the Caribbean Institute for Human Rights, the International Human Rights Clinic of the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The commission said these NGOs obtained information about residents' living conditions based on interviews with seven women and eight men at the detention center.
The NGOs reported that several women detained were either pregnant or had children residing with them between the ages of six months and seven-years-old. The NGOs also indicated the detention center lacked basic items such as mattresses, bed sheets, feminine hygiene products, toilet paper, soap, toothbrushes and diapers. Many people were forced to sleep on the floor; there was limited access to legal services and there was no professional translation services, according to the organizations. The commission said it was also advised about limited food options.
"All detainees receive the same food; an oatmeal ration in the morning, a slice of bread for lunch and plain pasta for dinner, regardless of age," the NGOs alleged.
In addition to the precautionary measures, the commission requested the government respond to allegations that migrants have been mistreated at the detention center.
The government's immigration policy, which came into effect on November 1, 2014, focuses on reducing the number of illegal immigrations living in The Bahamas. But NGOs said the influx of people rounded up under the immigration policy has "only served to worsen the conditions" at the detention center.
The human rights organizations expressed concerns about alleged lack of due process, access to phone calls and visitations, physical abuse and ill treatment by officers. IACHR said as of February 13, the government had not responded to its January 15 request for more information.
Response
The government advised on Friday that it had received the IACHR's report. It said the report is being fully reviewed and the government will provide a considered response to the allegations and recommendations shortly.
The government said it is unfortunate that the report appears to have adopted the narrative of the various human rights groups and press-based advocates that are not based in fact.
"Many of its assertions are based on untested tendentious, anecdotal material," read the statement. "In the face of these inaccuracies, it is difficult to accept any conclusions, which flow from this decision of the commission. It simply strains credibility. The decision is not helpful in resolving the issues which are confronted by illegal migrants to The Bahamas and comes off as prejudicial."
The government took exception to the allegations surrounding the treatment of children at the detention center.
"The government again states that it is committed to maintaining the highest standards in any of its detention facilities in The Bahamas and works continuously at achieving those standards within the level of resources that are available," the statement said.
The government said it is in the process of addressing several recommendations made by an appointed panel, which led a formal investigation into the conditions at the detention center. The panel was headed by a former justice of The Bahamas Court of Appeal.
The IACHR noted that the granting of precautionary measures and their adoption by The Bahamas shall not constitute a "prejudging of any violation of the rights protected in the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man or any other applicable instrument".
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