WHATEVER your viewpoint on the issue of marital rape – freshly in the headlines after Speaker Halson Moultrie opened his mouth on the subject and put his foot squarely in it – let’s be clear about one thing: Nothing’s going to change in a hurry.
After Mr Moultrie had his say that, spiritually, a husband cannot rape his wife, PLP leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis found his own voice to say that the party did not support men raping their wives – we would hope not – but couldn’t commit to doing anything about it. Little bravery on show there in dealing with the topic – but then given there was no change in the law when he was Deputy Prime Minister, that’s no surprise.
Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has previously said he holds no personal view on marital rape, while in 2018 Attorney General Carl Bethel said laws on marital rape were off the table until 2019. 2019 came and went with no change. Social Services Minister Frankie Campbell has boldly declared that more discussion is needed – how much longer we need to talk about the subject wasn’t made clear. He declared a year ago that it “is a matter that we cannot ignore” only for his party to continue to ignore it.
So there you have it – a succession of older men making it clear they have no desire to rush to deal with the issue of marital rape.
Mr Campbell’s predecessor as Social Services Minister, Lanisha Rolle, didn’t advance the cause either – declaring that marital rape was a private issue.
This despite the UN’s special rapporteur on violence against women saying that marital rape is the most pressing gender-based issue facing The Bahamas. The rapporteur, Dubravka Šimonović, said the legality of marital rape was “a sign that something is deeply wrong”.
That was in 2017 – the issue isn’t any less pressing now.
One of the few voices to speak out in government was Elsworth Johnson – then State Minister for Legal Affairs now Minister of Foreign Affairs – who said rightly that “sexual intercourse without consent in any form is rape”. He would not, however, comment on the government’s official position.
The safe answer for many of these politicians is that we need more discussion, that there needs to be a public debate on the subject. None of them then goes on to drive such a debate. And so the days, and months, and years go by – and nothing is done to help spouses who are raped by their partner.
But here’s the thing – if these leaders don’t follow through on their pledges to tackle the issue of marital rape, then what are their other pledges worth?
Who will live up to their promises? And if no one does, why should we believe they will do any of what they say they will do?
Doing great without the boss
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force has been doing “tremendous work” in the absence of its commander, Tellis Bethel. So says the acting commander, Raymond King – and doesn’t that sound a little off?
Oh yes, we’ve been doing brilliantly without you isn’t a ringing endorsement of Commander Bethel’s abilities, is it?
While the pretend mystery of when Mr Bethel will return to office goes on – Minister Marvin Dames suggests April now but we wouldn’t suggest you place a bet on him returning to the same job – his acting replacement rattled off a list of all the things on his to-do list. Which should be Mr Bethel’s to-do list, of course, if he’s back anytime soon.
He probably doesn’t need to ring the office and ask if they miss him, though. He might not like the answer by the sound of it.
By the way, one of those things on the to-do list is to talk to the Air Accident Investigation Unit about how to respond to an aircraft crash. The Byron Ferguson crash report pointed out the country should have a designated search and rescue entity, not something like the RBDF covering for a job that isn’t their sole focus. Is that another lesson we’re not learning from?
Comments
BahamaPundit 4 years, 2 months ago
The problem with marital rape law is the abuse of power that will inevitably come with it. It will likely end up being just another tool in the inventory of every cunning woman looking to pull strings and overpower her husband. The people behind this push are also behind gay marriage. They want to destroy male and female unions. Already, Bahamian divorce laws, like those in the US, strongly favor females with child custody and division of assets, enticing women to grab half of their husband's cash and run, taking the children with them. This law disrespects men and the sanctity and private sphere of marriage. How silly to give women another weapon to fight men with, as women have already won the divorce battle; most wise men would choose not to marry or require a hefty and legally binding prenup. We all know how this game ends. It ends with most women in ten to twenty years becoming lesbians and marrying each other, and men relying on sex workers to meet their sexual needs.
momoyama 4 years, 2 months ago
Amen
Sickened 4 years, 2 months ago
In what reality is raping anyone (woman, man, wife, lover, girlfriend, boyfriend) okay? Sick!!
BahamaPundit 4 years, 2 months ago
You obviously haven't experienced a woman lie about you and try to get you in trouble before. Many men have experienced this.
shonkai 4 years, 2 months ago
Exactly, the men are stupid ones for marrying these women. You live in a sick world of your own BP!
Sickened 4 years, 2 months ago
Correct! I've never fooled around with a ghetto gal before. Don't plan to either.
BahamaPundit 4 years, 2 months ago
This marital rape law is being used by the FNM to distract Bahamians from the real issues, such as the Government's massive borrowing, the rise of home invasions and non-marital rapes, and the selling of BPL. Also, add the FNM's fake town meeting to the list.
themessenger 4 years, 2 months ago
Sigh........... more Neanderthal thought process and commentary, thinking with the small head as usual.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 2 months ago
These older men like Minnis and Davis obviously know nothing about the "Golden Rule".
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is a biblical concept spoken by Jesus in Luke 6:31 and Matthew 7:12; it is commonly referred to as the "Golden Rule."
Modern day translations of the relevant portions of these two verses read as follows:
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12).
"Do to others as you would have them do to you" (Luke 6:31).
Foolish old men like Minnis and Davis believe the Bible says a wife must submit to her husband no matter what. But having the right to rape your wife exists nowhere in the Bible. These men are about as un-Christian as they come. They go to church for appearance sake only and only hear and believe what they choose to very selectively hear and believe while in church. Frankly put, Minnis and Davis are the very definition of heathens and we should all feel truly sorry for the women in their lives.
avidreader 4 years, 2 months ago
This is a difficult and a dangerous step to take when there is so much room for false allegations and accusations that can be very hard to substantiate in a court of law. No one wants to see anyone in a relationship suffer any form of abuse but this proposed law will give a mighty stick with which to beat the other partner. Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, the types of accusations arising from acts taking place behind closed doors can be both hard to prove and destructive to the person accused.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 2 months ago
So you would prefer husbands continue to be allowed to rape their wives with impunity at the risk of husbands being falsely accused of doing so. That says a helluva lot about you and the other husbands like you who may be inclined to abuse their wives whenever they see fit.
tetelestai 4 years, 2 months ago
Sigh! Tribune editorial and the facts have no relation. In other words, "liar, liar" Mr. Tribune editor. Second paragraph...I heard Brave's sound bite and he did not say that the PLP will not do anything about it. What, in fact, was said was that the PLP could not say that marital rape would be a priority item. Brave then said the pressing concern - rightly so, as the Bahamas is the 6th most expensive country in the world, if you believe the reports - is the economy.
Look, the Tribune is a slightly worse version of The Punch, but you can at least be truthful...even in your editorials.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 2 months ago
You must be new to the Bahamas. When a corrupt Bahamian politician like Davis says something is not a priority he means it ain't ever gonna happen with his support.
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