The Tribune

THE WATCHWOMAN

By NOELLE NICOLLS

Tribune Features Editor

nnicolls@tribunemedia.net

It was a constant theme amongst women advocates in the United States, and it appears to be the hard cold reality for women advocates in the Bahamas: that is, policy makers and private citizens are basically unmoved by impassioned cries for human rights.

It was Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, who declared in 1995 that "human rights are women's rights, and women's rights are human rights", when she delivered her historic speech to a Plenary Session at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, in Beijing, China.

But not even the bold statement of then First Lady Hillary Clinton sealed the deal for women's activists in the United States, who had been advocating for decades, for the right of women to live free of violence.

Last month, I participated in US State Department Women's Empowerment Reporting Tour. There I met Anita Botti, Chief of Staff for the State Department's Office of Global Women's Issues, who admit, that the 1994 Violence Against Women Act of 1994 that was signed by President Bill Clinton and drafted by then Senator Joe Biden was the culmination of a battle that lasted for over 20 years.

Despite all of the violence, despite all of the suffering, despite the blatant disregard for human rights, it took the government that long to act in support of women's rights.

Ms Botti said a key factor in that victory was messaging: Specifically a shift in argument from a discussion of human rights, to a discussion of economics and national security.

When we met with the Organisation of American States' Commission on Women, and other advocates, we heard the same message. People have become so numb to human suffering that human rights fights have become an almost lost cause.

"In whatever form it takes, gender-based violence is an intolerable violation of human dignity. No one can quantify the personal pain and anguish of any form of abuse. But medical bills and legal costs, lost wages and lower productivity, health costs including an increased risk of HIV - these are things on which we can put a price. And when we do, we see - in dollars and cents - how much violence against women and girls truly costs everyone in a society," said Secretary Clinton, in an editorial last year.

Her statement represents the shift. It consciously points to the incalculable medical, security and legal costs to countries because of violence against women, especially considering one in three women around the world will experience some form of gender-based violence in her lifetime.

The strategy is relevant to the Bahamas, particularly in light of the recent debate around spousal rape, and the government's former effort to amend the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act to remove the spousal exception from the definition of rape.

Bahamians seem to be unswayed by the fact that rape, even when committed by a husband, is one of the most vile violation's of a woman's rights. Governmental action to protect women, including those married, from this heinous form of sexual assault, is critical for honouring its commitment to human rights. Alas, not enough seem to be phased by this reality.

If a man rape's his wife that marriage has long lost all of its sanctity, so it is hard to understand why Bahamians, including political leaders like Branville McCartney and Cynthia "Mother" Pratt, are talking about the sanctity of marriage in a discussion of rape.

Perhaps, Bahamian advocates need to shift the conversation. Sadly, in the Bahamas, unlike the United States, we are data poor and research adverse. In other words, Bahamian advocates have little access to research data to support a conversation about the cost of violence against women.

I have no doubt that local research about the health, security and economic cost of violence against women would make a compelling argument, if we had the data. But this is certainly a conversation, we need to start having in the Bahamas.

The discussion of the US history of advocacy on the reporting tour also brought to the forefront of my mind another piece of insight relevant to the Bahamian story.

Putting the US' legislative successes in context with the history of advocacy reminded me of the women's suffrage movement in the Bahamas.

1948 was an important year for the Bahamas, but not for the reason most think. That was the year women in the Bahamas began calling for their right to vote.

However, the celebrity date for the women's suffrage movement is November 26, 1962, when women of the Bahamas, 21 years and over voted for the first time. Many are also aware of December 1, 1958, when member of parliament Gerald Cash presented a petition, the second of its kind, to the speaker and members of the House of Assembly with more than 2500 signatures, representing the collective voices of men and women who supported the enfranchisement of women.

Almost one month later, in January 1958, the young, charismatic and formidable Dr Doris Johnson, who was ushered into a leadership role for the movement, delivered her pivotal speech to members of the House of Assembly concerning the right to vote for women.

So what makes 1948 so special? Because the advocacy of Bahamian women, which culminated in the 1962 expression of victory, was the climax of a cycle that lasted almost 14 years.

The advocacy had begun in 1948, which led to the first women's suffrage petition being presented in 1951 by Mary Ingraham and Mabel Walker through their husbands, both parliamentarians. The second petition, which had less than 500 signatures, was presented in 1952. Both of these initiatives were shot down.

These dates are not so well known, but Bahamians should also hold them in their consciousness, and be encouraged that although the road may be long and tough, the courage and commitment of women, sisters united, walking hand in hand with their men, is a force not easily stopped.

Though the forces of oppression are still assembled, so too are the forces of progress. Human rights may have gone out of style, but women will not be silenced. Their will will create their way.

I give thanks for participating in the Women's Empowerment Reporting Tour. The inspiration for the Watchwoman column came as a result. It also renewed my passion, as features editor, to transform the Women's Section of the Tribune newspaper into the leading platform for women's voices, and the leading information exchange of ideas and stories about women's empowerment and gender discourse.

Read the Watchwoman every Tuesday in the Tribune's Women's Section.