Leaders of the two major organisations across the gender divide – the National Organisation of Women (NOW) and the Men Empowerment Network Support (MENS) – hailed the proposed amendments to the Sexual Offences Act as a significant step towards protecting children and women.
But they both urged society and the legal system to take sexual assault cases, particularly those involving minors, more seriously.
Attorney General Dale Marshall last Tuesday introduced the amendments, which aim to reintroduce protections for minors, criminalise grooming and punish any act that exposes children to sexual activity. The Act also formally introduces statutory rape, which criminalises adult sex with a minor, regardless of whether consent was granted or in the absence of force, violence and coercion.
Welcoming the proposed changes, MENS founder and president Fabian Sargeant highlighted the importance of the bill’s gender-neutral provisions. He expressed hope that these would help break the taboo surrounding the sexual abuse of boys by women.
“The law not only speaks to females, but the law also speaks to men,” Sargeant said. “So this is a gender-neutral bill. So men can also complain and feel comfortable if they feel as though they were raped. In our culture, that is a very taboo topic to raise. Men need to know that they do have the right to a fair hearing and trial if they do believe that they were raped or were sexually [assaulted].”
He acknowledged the discomfort many Barbadians feel discussing male victims of sexual violence but emphasised the need for the conversation. Sargeant noted the psychological trauma men often endure after such experiences, especially in a society that views such assaults on boys as a “rite of passage”.
“An [adult] female having sex with a male under the age of 16 years old, that is rape. We need to focus on these things because we always put the highlight on when women or girls are victims, and seldom put the focus on when men or boys are victims. I think as a progressive society we need to also understand how we need to grow and develop as a people and accept times have changed,” he added.
Men Empowerment Network Support founder and president Fabian Sargeant. (FP)
Sargeant called for an educational campaign to ensure the public, especially young people, are aware of the new protections under the revised law.
NOW president Melissa Savoury-Gittens, who spoke at a recent installation ceremony for new officers of her organisation, also welcomed the updated legislation but raised concerns about delays in the legal system.
“One of our main concerns is the backlog of cases involving the sexual abuse of minors. Many of these children are already facing vulnerabilities such as poverty and neglect, and long delays in the justice system only compound their suffering,” she said. “Justice delayed is justice denied, and it is unacceptable that these children must wait years to see their abusers held accountable.”
Savoury-Gittens renewed calls for specialised courts to fast-track cases involving sexual abuse, particularly those affecting minors, and urged the legal system to ensure that trials are conducted without unnecessary delays or procedural hurdles that could re-traumatise survivors.
She further advocated for the establishment of a sexual offender registry to monitor offenders and safeguard vulnerable individuals, particularly children. A sexual offenders registry is not included in the amendments but Marshall had said a study is being done to determine if Barbados will go that route.
The NOW president also suggested a Domestic Violence Court with trained magistrates to help ease the backlog of sensitive assault cases.
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