NASSAU, The Bahamas – Parliamentarians from across the political landscape, including both Upper and Lower Houses, participated in a one-day training session on legislative reform for The Bahamas, hosted by the Department of Gender and Family Affairs, Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development, in collaboration with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Lisa T. Rahming, said the Session targeted the country’s Parliamentarians in recognition of the importance of legislative reform -- including legislative frameworks -- for the empowerment of women and girls. The Session was conducted by Ms. Tonni Brodber, Representative, UN Women Multi-Country Office-Caribbean.

“UN Women is an international partner that has, over the years, supported the work programme of the Department of Gender and Family Affairs as well as other agencies, and has supported the country in a number of initiatives in an effort to formulate strategies to address gender-based violence in The Bahamas for many years, and we are grateful.” State-Minister Rahming said.

“Ms. Brodber has provided technical assistance to countries in the region on gender equality and women empowerment matters and possesses a wealth of experience in human rights and development issues. My colleagues came out in record numbers, they were engaged, they asked many questions, and I am sure that they got a lot out of it. They got to see what we are faced with in the Ministry of Social Services an Urban Development as it relates to laws pertaining to children, boys, women and girls, and so now when we bring them (draft legislation) before the table, they will be even more in tune with those laws and how they affect the wider society.”

The Session covered a wide-range of topics including Mainstreaming Gender Equality across the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment across the SDGs, a focus on the Spotlight Initiative, CEDAW, the Declaration on Human Rights,   Convention of Belem Do Para, Better Policies for Gender-based Violence Legislation, Equality vs. Equity, Gender-responsive budgeting, and Understanding Gender and Gender equality, among many others.

Sensitizing on legislation to empower females

Ms. Brodber said there were three key take-a-ways from the Session, held at the Paul H. Farquharson Centre.

“The first take-a-way is understanding that gender equality is good for men and that it’s good for women and that it is something that will support our economies and assist with citizen security. The second is that legislation that does not reflect gender equality is not good for The Bahamas, it is not good for the Caribbean, it is not good for the world and in terms of low-hanging fruit, like legislation around sexual assault, it is something that can be addressed and should be addressed. There is better practice across the region and The Bahamas is a leader in so many things. It should not be falling behind on that. And the third thing is women and men, working collaboratively in Parliament for the people of The Bahamas, is the only way in which you will be able to really recover from COVID-19.”

Ms. Brodber said local, regional and global societies benefit even more when there is equity and equality between sexes -- men and women, boys and girls.

“Something as simple as thinking about the kind of time that it takes to take care of elderly people, children, persons living with disabilities, if that falls only on women, then it means that they are not able to fully engage in other forms of work in society. That means the government is not able to benefit from their work. That means communities are not also able to benefit from their work. It is an honour to be able to care for your family and that is an honour that men should be able to participate in as well.

“Another issue is around violence. If you think women should only be one way and men should only be one way, you may find yourselves in more fights as young men with other young men and demanding certain things from women because you think they should give it to you because you are a man and they are a woman. That is not healthy for peaceful relations.”

Ms. Brodber applauded the Parliamentarians for their participation.

“I was really excited and impressed by the Parliamentarians in The Bahamas. They are dedicated to the people of The Bahamas, they are dedicated to making sure that they represent their constituencies effectively and they are open to learning anything and more of things, but they are grounded in their determination to serve their people in the best way they believe. And that is impressive.”

Attorney-General, Senator, the Hon. Ryan Pinder, was among the Parliamentarians who participated in the Session

“Personally, I am an advocate certainly for equal rights amongst men and women in all regards and protecting the most vulnerable as well and so I support the legislative amendments that we discussed in the Session. We are working very closely with Social Services to put forward the necessary amendments on the matters discussed. All in all you have to look at it as a full picture, providing the necessary protections for the most vulnerable and maintaining equality amongst your people,” the Attorney-General said.