By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

DAYS after Social Services Minister Myles LaRoda defended the pace of setting up the Protection Against Violence Commission, Bahamas Crisis Centre director Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson called the government’s progress since the bill’s passage disappointing and urged faster action.

The bill would establish a commission to support victims, liaise with police when victims face insufficient cooperation, and recommend a national strategic plan to combat violence.

It would also work with the minister to ensure adequate shelters for victims across the country. However, the commission has yet to be established.

Mr LaRoda recently claimed that while the commission is not yet operational, its core responsibilities are already being carried out behind the scenes.

However, Dr Dean-Patterson said that although there have been some meetings to discuss the way forward, more progress is needed.

She said the bill is meant to bring together several ministries, including the Ministry of Social Services, National Security, Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Education, but at present, each appears to be working independently.

“At the moment, they’re working in silos,” she said. “Each ministry is doing their own thing, but if they come together and we sit and work because this, this is a huge problem. This is a problem that has to be addressed, because you can see it in the increase in suicide, completed suicide, the increase in suicide ideation calls, and generally the violence in the country.”

She said the centre continues to advocate for change, but the public must also do their part by demanding stronger action to condemn and address violence.

“It’s critical,” she said. “It’s important. There should be letters to the newspapers every day. There should be calls to the talk shows every day. What are we doing? How is it? Because you’ve said that you’re going to do something about it, so do it. Act it.”

She acknowledged that police have launched their domestic violence unit and that summer programmes are being offered to give children opportunities, but said more can still be done and done more effectively.

“Things can be done better, and things can be done more efficiently and more effectively and honestly, if people were to know the reports, the reality of this, because so much of this is silent,” she said. “They would be in horror so that’s what this commission will do. It will bring the information to the public so people could be aware, and people could say, yes, we need to resource this. We need to fund this. We need to put this in place.”