Call for Minister Lanisha Rolle’s Resignation
Another activist group is calling for the resignation of Minister of Social Services and Urban Development Lanisha Rolle over her controversial comments on marital rape.
Equality Bahamas (EB) lambasted Mrs Rolle over her stance in a press statement yesterday, pointing out it demonstrated Mrs Rolle was ill-suited for the job.
The group said Mrs Rolle’s appointment to the post was an insult to Bahamian women given her public opposition to the 2016 gender equality referendum, and questioned whether the move was “sinisterly strategic” given the ministerial portfolio includes oversight of the Department of Gender and Family Affairs.
EB also said Mrs Rolle’s remarks represented a de-facto response to UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Dubravka Šimonović’s charge that marital rape is the most pressing gender-based issue in the country.
It called for solidarity from all women’s rights organisations and advocates to join in clearly stating that rape is not a private matter, and expressed concerns about the activity, or lack thereof, of the ministry’s Department of Gender and Family Affairs.
Read full story by Ava Turnquest here.