The Tribune

By Ava Turnquest

Tribune Digital Editor

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

THE Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has urged The Bahamas to fully implement recently passed human rights and accountability reforms, as it warns that poor detention conditions across the region remain a pressing concern.

Speaking with The Tribune following the Commission’s first technical cooperation visit to the country since 2019, Andrea Pochak, Vice President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and Country Rapporteur for The Bahamas, said the visit focused on strengthening national institutions through cooperation and technical assistance.

While situating The Bahamas within broader regional human rights trends, she said the IACHR continues to observe serious challenges across the Americas, including shrinking civic space, attacks on journalists and human rights defenders, and the erosion of democratic stability through weakened judicial independence and persistent impunity.

“The Americas remain among the most unequal and violent regions in the world,” Commissioner Pochak said, noting that women, people of African descent, migrants, and those living in poverty are disproportionately affected. She added that climate change is intensifying social pressures in the Caribbean, exacerbating migration flows and existing vulnerabilities.

Addressing conditions of detention, Commissioner Pochak said the IACHR has identified an urgent regional need to improve safeguards for people deprived of their liberty — an issue that also applies to Caribbean states such as The Bahamas.

“There is also an urgent need to improve conditions in all detention facilities, including by addressing overcrowding, ensuring access to health care, and guaranteeing the separation of children from adults and of pretrial detainees from those with convictions,” she said.

She added that states must guarantee access to information, legal assistance, and communication with families from the moment of detention, as well as interpretation services and prompt notification of consular authorities.

Under its 2023–2027 Strategic Plan, the IACHR has designated the Caribbean as a strategic priority, with a focus on closer engagement with governments, civil society, and regional institutions. During meetings with Bahamian officials, Commissioner Pochak said discussions addressed governance, accountability, access to information, and data collection, alongside opportunities for technical assistance grounded in a human rights approach.

“Transparency is a cornerstone of democratic institutions,” she said, stressing that access to public information is essential for meaningful public participation and for holding states accountable.

Commissioner Pochak acknowledged legislative progress in The Bahamas, including the establishment of the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee in March 2025 and the passage of the Ombudsman Act in 2024. She also cited a reported 28 percent decrease in homicides as of September 2025 and the passage of draft legislation to establish an Independent Investigations Commission to address misconduct by security forces.

However, she cautioned that despite legislative approval, key reforms have yet to be fully implemented. Neither the Office of the Ombudsman nor the Independent Investigations Commission was operational by the end of 2025.

On migration, Commissioner Pochak said the IACHR continues to monitor enforcement practices across the region, including the impact of detention and deportation policies on small states. While states have the right to regulate migration, she stressed that such measures must comply with international human rights standards.

“Irregular migration status alone can never justify deprivation of freedom,” she said, adding that detention should be used only as a last resort and never applied to children or adolescents.

Looking ahead, Commissioner Pochak said the IACHR aims to formalise cooperation agreements with Bahamian institutions, strengthen national monitoring bodies, and encourage deeper engagement with the inter-American system through the ratification of regional human rights conventions.

She added that increased Caribbean representation within the IACHR — with four of its seven commissioners expected to come from the region by 2026 — will help ensure that the realities of small island states are better reflected in regional human rights oversight.

Among those commissioners will be Bahamian attorney and human rights advocate Marion Bethel, who was elected during the 55th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in June, marking an historic first for The Bahamas.