By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Saff reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE lack of a national forensic lab — which the government has called too costly — is leaving rape victims in The Bahamas waiting months for critical DNA testing, a delay that Bahamas Crisis Centre director Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson says denies survivors justice and retraumatises them in court.

Dr Dean-Patterson said survivors of sexual violence are retraumatised by drawn-out trials and denied justice in court when critical evidence is delayed or insufficient. She argued that a properly equipped local lab would not only support victims but also act as a deterrent to offenders.

“We have to prioritise it,” she said. “The government has many, many needs and very many demands, and everything changes every year. But one thing that is not changing is the incident of sexual violence.”

Although she has raised the matter with successive administrations, Dr Dean-Patterson said she was told the cost of a lab would be “extremely costly.” She rejected this as a valid excuse. “We cannot put a price tag on it. We cannot. We need to do all that we can to ensure that victims can feel supported and can feel that they can get justice.”

She also pointed to a backlog of sexual offence cases despite the Voluntary Bill of Indictment process, which allows matters to go directly to the Supreme Court.

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe confirmed yesterday that while RBPF biologists can examine samples in rape kits, DNA testing is still done abroad. He said the Davis administration is pushing ahead with plans for a National Forensic Lab, which would cover DNA testing, pathology, drug analysis, firearms examinations, and other services.

Mr Munroe could not say which overseas facility is currently used but noted that officers personally transport specimens to protect the chain of custody. A committee led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Earl Thompson is overseeing the project, which has been added to the government’s procurement portal.

The lab would fall under the Ministry of National Security, with Bahamian staff to be trained and hired to run it. Mr Munroe said the urgency of such a facility was underscored after Hurricane Dorian in 2019, when the lack of DNA testing left many families unable to identify loved ones.

He maintained that delays in establishing the lab are not about money but technical requirements. He also insisted that slow rape kit processing has not fuelled the backlog of sexual offence cases, blaming systemic problems in the courts for many outstanding matters.