By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE Attorney General Carl Bethel’s declaration that the country has zero tolerance when it comes to domestic abuse, another human rights group urged Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis to distance himself from MP Miriam Emmanuel's comments and clearly state the country’s position when it comes to gender-based violence, discrimination and inequality.

“Rise Bahamas” said a great start to demonstrating the government’s commitment in this regard would be to formulate an implementation plan, inclusive of budget and timeline for the 2015 Gender Based Task Force.

The organisation said for too long Bahamians have been allowed to be disrespected by government officials without consequence. This should stop now, it said.

“Rise” is the latest advocacy group to come out against the MICAL MP's comments on Wednesday, seemingly condoning domestic violence. Although she apologised hours after making the remarks, criticism continues to poor in.

Bahamas Crisis Centre Deputy Director Donna Nicolls has also called for Mrs Emmanuel’s resignation.

Rise Bahamas also criticised the remarks of House Speaker Halson Moultrie. The group did not make clear the specific comments made by the Speaker to which it referred. However in his speech on Wednesday, the Speaker remarked about Official Opposition Leader Philip “Brave” Davis’ wife’s nationality among other scorching comments.

“The recent statements made in the House of Assembly by Member of Parliament Emmanuel and House Speaker Moultrie condoning domestic violence, discrimination and gender inequality, not only shows lack of knowledge around human rights conventions our country has committed to uphold, but also a disregard for basic human rights,” Rise Bahamas said in a statement Friday. “It is appalling that they thought it fitting to make such declaration in Parliament – the very place where laws are created to circumvent the behaviours they exalt.”

The statement also said: “Behaviour and speech in Parliament is indicative of a systemic issue in politics and our society. We find that, in general, the members of Parliament are inadequately informed on the subjects that they are representing, and absolutely no effort is being made to remedy this deficiency.

“These individuals do not have sufficient knowledge to make sound decisions on behalf of the Bahamian public and immediate action needs to be taken to ensure that they commit to and receive the proper sensitivity training to make them functional. They should also reach out to institutions like the Bahamas Crisis Centre to expose themselves to accounts from survivors of abuse and sexual violence.”

In the Senate on Thursday, the Attorney General said Mrs Emmanuel’s comments were “ill-advised”. As he denounced the remarks he said the country is beyond the days of patrimonial control of the family.

He said domestic violence is not to be joked about, as was the case in Parliament on Wednesday.

“As the leader of government business in this place and the attorney general for this great country,” Mr Bethel said in the Senate, “I have taken note of certain ill-advised comments that were made by a member of the other place yesterday (Wednesday) pertaining to an illusion or an equivocation of the Speaker exercising authority in the House and unfortunate domestic situations that often or may arise in the country.

“The speaker of those comments immediately and to her credit gave a full and unreserved apology for that. I do, however, feel the obligation as attorney general to state for the record that no form of domestic violence can be tolerated under our law or in any way in this Commonwealth of the Bahamas,” Mr Bethel said.

“We are beyond those days of what they would call in the old days the patrimonial control of the family. That is over. The modern world would recognise the partnership and consensual based nature of marriage and would also affirm the absolute equality of women and men and the absolute integrity that must be given and accorded to every human being, which is a sacred thing not to be violated whether in the bonds of marriage or not to be joked about as occurred in the last Parliament.”

He continued: “So I simply say on behalf of the government that we affirm our full commitment to the full equality and the full integrity of every human being, male or female, and under no circumstances can we condone or make light of domestic violence. That being said, the speaker who erred in that way has made a full and absolute apology and I do believe as a society we should accept that apology and let us now move on to a higher level of civil discourse in our society.”

This situation has again highlighted that there are no women in Parliament who recognise the need to adopt domestic and gender based violence as their portfolio, attorney and United Nations expert Marion Bethel told The Tribune Thursday.

She said many women in Parliament do not understand they are “token” representatives who tow the party line blindly and happily with the power they are given by male counterparts.

Mrs Bethel said it was “outrageous” that Mrs Emmanuel as the leader of a church did not understand before she opened her mouth the severity of the comments leading the attorney to question the message the MP was promoting from the pulpit.