Black Immigrant Daily News

By Sir Ronald Sanders

Rape, and other forms of sexual violence against women in war and conflict, represent one of the great silences and suppressed issues in modern-day history.

Yet, women remain the greatest victims of war and other forms of conflict in many parts of the world. Recently, in Haiti, rape has become a weapon for members of the 200 gangs which now control 60 per cent of the Capital, Port-au-Prince. Women and girls are deliberately targeted for rapes, torture, kidnappings and killings. Tragic stories have emerged of schoolgirls being captured, gang raped and becoming pregnant; their lives stripped of dignity or choice.

In the war in Ukraine, rape is also used as a deliberate weapon of terror, or by soldiers taking advantage of their position to rape women in the absence of any deterrent. U.N. findings suggest thar the incidents of rape are underreported in Ukraine. Similarly, the number of rapes, reported in Haiti, are far less than accounts given by victims, who either have no means of making an official report or are too frightened to do so.

Women have been a target of war wherever it has occurred. U.N. statistics show that, in Rwanda, up to 500,000 women were raped during the 1994 genocide, in acts known as ‘genocidal rape’; in Sierra Leone 60,000 women were raped during the civil war (1991-2002); in Liberia, 40,000 women were raped and mutilated (1989-2003); in Bosnia in Europe, 60,000 women were raped (1992-1995); in Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 200,000 women were raped in a decade of conflict. None of this takes account of rapes that certainly occurred during conflicts in Central and South America.

Rape is prohibited, under the Rules of War, particularly the “Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (1949)”, and its 1977 protocol. However, this prohibition is not a deterrent, since the governments, that send their soldiers into war, have not made rape, committed during conflicts, a criminal offence. Indeed, as has happened in the war against Ukraine, Russia has described reports of rape as lies.

Wars and conflicts create refugees who are forced into camps with little protection from predators – in some cases, officials who manage the camps. In such vulnerable situations, women again become victims.

Unacceptable and wrongful as is rape of women in wars and their aftermath, it is in daily life that violence against women, including rape, is most despicable and inexcusable. The situation cries out for action to end it. U.N. figures paint a grim picture.

Globally, an estimated 736 million women–almost one in three–have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, or both at least once in their life. More than 640 million women aged 15 and older have been subjected to intimate partner violence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, violence against women increased dramatically.

It is significant that, globally, violence against women disproportionately affects low- and lower-middle-income countries and regions. Thirty-seven per cent of women aged 15 to 49, living in “least developed” countries, have been subject to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence in their lives. Globally 81,000 women and girls were killed in 2020, around 47,000 of them (58 per cent) died at the hands of an intimate partner or a family member. This latter figure equates to a woman or girl being killed every 11 minutes in their home. In 58 per cent of all killings, perpetrated by intimate partners or other family members, the victim was a woman or girl.

While these figures are deeply disturbing, the silent acceptance of the situation is worse, condemning all societies in which such tolerance prevails.

Against this background, an international coalition of 2,100 women’s rights advocates in 128 nations called “Every Woman”, is proposing the adoption of a global treaty to eradicate violence against women and girls. It is a treaty whose creation and adoption should be fully supported.

The treaty will not cause violence against women to end overnight, but it will be a potent international instrument that would bind governments to take the necessary legislative, preventative and protective measures to save millions of women from the killings and violence that now exist. The urgency for a global treaty is driven by the fact that, although several conventions have been adopted globally, and legal frameworks have been established nationally, violence against women has persisted. The existing frameworks have failed to deliver the strong measures that are clearly required.

In truth, many of the existing Conventions have serious gaps that have allowed governments to sidestep their responsibilities. And, even where Conventions have not been strong, some governments have not agreed to them. The global treaty seeks to remedy the obvious weaknesses and gaps in existing Conventions.

The government of Costa Rica, which has an outstanding record in advocating for human rights, has already endorsed the concept of a Global Treaty, recognizing that much more has to be done to protect women from violence. Caribbean governments and civil society should not hesitate to join in the treaty’s promotion.

Even with the best will in the world, a global treaty cannot be negotiated, agreed and ratified with the swiftness it deserves. It could take years, by which time many more millions of women – mothers, daughters, sisters – will die or be seriously injured as victim of violence.

As the advocates of the treaty argue, “It’s time to come together to outpace the violence with a concrete, clear and actionable solution. Women and girls are waiting. They are asking that we do better”.

Women are restricted to contributing only 37 percent of global production even though they are 50 per cent of the world’s population. Yet, a McKinsey Global Institute report finds that, by advancing women’s equality, US$12 trillion could be added to global output by 2025. The global circulation of that money would make a huge difference to the economic wellbeing of all countries.

Ending violence against women is in the interest of all mankind.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Diplomatic relations between Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Canada were strengthened on Thursday, 16 February with an engagement between the Conference of Heads of Government and Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, in The Bahamas.

The two parties discussed the situation in Haiti, climate change and climate financing, trade, increased people to people contact, regional security among other issues.

In his address to CARICOM Heads, the Canadian Prime Minister announced a new funding initiative totaling $44.8 million to tackle the climate crisis in the Caribbean.

He said the fund will support projects within regional organisations like the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), and the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund to improve marine and coastal ecosystem management, increased water security and to help governments respond to the impacts of Climate Change.

Acknowledging the challenges CARICOM countries face with accessing concessional development financing, he applauded the Bridgetown Initiative led by Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados. It has “re-energised the conversation on International Financial Institutions’ reform to the overlapping health, climate, debt, and liquidity crisis affecting many CARICOM countries,” the Canadian Prime Minister stated.

On the trade side, he said Canada is seeking a renewal of a waiver from the World Trade Organisation for goods from the Region to enter Canada duty-free beyond 2023, through the CARIBAN programme.

CARIBAN was announced in Nassau during a CARICOM Heads of Government Conference in 1985 and Prime Minister Trudeau said it is “only fitting” that CARICOM-Canada Heads of Government renew their commitment to the trading agreement during their meeting Thursday.

CARICOM-Canada reciprocal trade reached $1.9 billion in 2021, while bilateral trade in services reached $3.9 billion, Prime Minister Trudeau told CARICOM heads as he highlighted the strong trade ties between the two parties.

Heads of Government commended Prime Minister Trudeau for continuing the legacy of strong relations between CARICOM and Canada. They advocated for his country’s support to concessional funding for climate change related loss and damage, recovering from disasters, and development financing. Heads also emphasised the need for increased people-to-people contact between CARICOM and Canada through the restoration of visa-free travel.

In response to the latter, Prime Minister Trudeau said that Canada will in the coming days, announce new measures to simplify access to “trusted travelers” from CARICOM and other countries in the Region.

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The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), hosted by The University of the West Indies (The UWI) was recently announced as a recipient of a sustainability grant from Airbnb, the online marketplace for short-term homestays and experiences.

The Centre was awarded US$250,000 as part of Airbnb’s Community Fund to support sustainability and conservation programs. Launched in 2020, the Fund aims to distribute US$100 million through 2030 to help strengthen communities around the world.

The US$250,000 grant will be used to support the Building Climate Knowledge, Attitudes and Awareness across the Caribbean (Project: C-KAP) led by the Centre, to help raise awareness among Caribbean Micro, Small and Medium Sized Tourism Entrepreneurs (MSMEs) about the importance of climate-responsible practices in their operations, as well as encourage them to take urgent action to combat climate change.

Project C-KAP’s overall goal is to assess research/monitor, plan for, forecast, mitigate, and manage risks related to tourism resilience and crisis management. This will be achieved through four objectives which include research and development; policy advocacy and communication management; programme/project design and management as well as training and capacity building.

A statement on behalf of the Centre’s Board of Governors noted, “We are excited to partner with Airbnb whose climate action corporate sustainability framework (which is committed to making Airbnb a Net Zero company by 2030), is in sync with one of the GTRCMC’s mandates; that is, building tourism resilience capacities for climate action and for global sustainability.”

Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of The UWI is among the Centre’s Board of Governors, together with Professor Lloyd Waller from The UWI who also serves as Executive Director and Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism.

Within the Centre’s workplan is the hosting its inaugural conference, the Global Tourism Resilience Conference–from February 15 to 17, 2023 at The UWI’s Regional Headquarters in Mona, Jamaica. The conference is a first of its kind, a three-day event, designed to bring the global tourism community together to discuss investment opportunities, discuss and debate solutions to today’s most pressing challenges, and increase cooperation for greater global resilience across the industry.

On the opening day of the conference, the Centre officially launched Global Tourism Resilience Day, which was initiated by Professor Lloyd Waller and designated by The United Nations General Assembly as an annual observance on February 17.

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Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders began their 44th regular summit in Nassau on Wednesday night overshadowed by the continued deterioration of the situation in the French-speaking member country of Haiti, pledging also to find a solution to the political and socio-economic problem there.

“The situation in Haiti requires our urgent attention. The turmoil and suffering there continue to worsen. As a near neighbour, the Bahamas is under great strain and many other countries in our region are already heavily impacted,” Bahamas Prime Minister Phillip Davis told the opening ceremony of the summit.

Davis, who is the chairman of the 15-member regional integration grouping, said the region would benefit “if Haiti is again fully functioning as a state.

“We should learn from the failures of past efforts to help rather than use these disappointments as an excuse for inaction. I pray that we can agree on a series of concrete steps to help move towards a solution for the Haitian people and the region as a whole,” Davis told the audience that included Haitian Prime Minister Dr Ariel Henry and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has pledged his country’s support in finding a solution to the situation.

“We have learnt that inaction has its own costs and consequences,” Davis added.

Earlier, outgoing CARICOM chairman and Suriname’s President, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, said Haiti “is in need of our concrete, and feasible assistance.

“We must support the Haitian people. Building on our discussions in the past year, I look forward to how and in what way this assistance can be provided. Democracy, free and fair elections, rule of law and certainly the protection of fundamental human rights are indeed at the core of the Caribbean civilisation,” Santokhi said, adding “we must foster and protect these also in the sister nation in need”.

CARICOM Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett told the ceremony that even as progress is being made on some fronts, CARICOM and the wider international community continue to struggle to help Haiti resolve its multifaceted crises.

“We will continue our efforts to assist all stakeholders in Haiti to ensure a Haitian-owned resolution to the crises,” she said, adding “we will have to show the resilience and fortitude of the Haitian people, as we strive to overcome challenges and advance the initiatives to improve the lives of all citizens of our Caribbean Community.

“That goal – to create a safe, sustainable, prosperous and viable Community for all – has been the guiding principle of our efforts over the last 50 years, and will continue to guide us over the next 50 and beyond,” she added.

Haiti’s prime minister has called on the international community, “especially those countries that can help” to support efforts to deal with the ongoing socio-economic and political situation in his country.

Prime Minister Henry, who succeeded the assassinated President Jovenel Moise, as head of the government in July 2020, has said to deal with this situation, his administration is urging the international community to participate in a specialised multinational force to help the Haitian security forces to fight against the proliferation of organised crime, the illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition, and eradicate the gangs that have held the country hostage.

United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres reiterated his urgent appeal to member states to understand the urgency of acting quickly to support the solutions chosen by Haitian actors.

So far, Jamaica is the only CARICOM country that has publicly said it is “willing to participate in a multinational security assistance deployment to Haiti” which is going through a period of political turbulence and economic and social difficulty, aggravated by a climate of insecurity fuelled by armed criminal groups.

The Caribbean leaders will over the two days discuss a wide range of issues, ranging from climate change to food security and the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Davis said that the pandemic had taught the region a valuable lesson “about what’s important and about what we need to do to save lives and livelihood”.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in the Bahamas to take part in a meeting of the Caribbean Community, where the escalating crisis in Haiti will be a main topic.

But some experts are urging Trudeau to avoid promising Canadian military intervention.

Trudeau is to deliver remarks and meet with several of the leaders — including de facto Haitian prime minister Ariel Henry, who took power after the assassination of former president Jovenel Moise (jeh-veh-NEL’ moh-EEZ’).

Gangs have taken control of much of the country since the assassination, grinding its economy to a halt and hastening a resurgence of cholera.

A United Nations report last week detailed indiscriminate shootings, executions and rapes.

With the support of the U-N, Henry’s unelected government is seeking an external security force to quell the chaos.

Some Caribbean countries — including Jamaica and the Bahamas — have publicly committed to contributing to a force if one is established.

But Bob Rae, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, says a solution has to come from within Haitian society and be executed by Haitian police.

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