Jasper Williams ,
Please provide us with your views on the state of peace in the country you will represent at the One Young World Summit
My country, the Bahamas, has never been at war internally or externally (excluding its participation in the world wars during colonial years). For this simple fact, many individuals would consider us to be a country of peace and harmony. But, I beg to differ. We have one of the highest crime rates per capita in the region and the 11th highest homicide rate in the world. Amnesty International (AI) and the United Nations (UN) have both issued reports urging for the country to crack down on the prevalence of gender-based violence in the Bahamas, but with every passing day, no new laws or policies are implemented and more and more women lose their lives to domestic violence. Also, many international human rights groups (including: the Organisation of American States, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Centre and Amnesty) have urged successive Bahamian governments to improve their treatment of Afro-Caribbean migrants, yet nothing has happened. These individuals are still the target of physical and sexual abuse, unlawful detention and deportation, and racial profiling. To many the Bahamas is a paradise of peace, but to many others it’s just the opposite.
How do you think your work and/or activism contribute to countering violent extremism and a sustainable peace?
Working with Rights Bahamas, I have been able to assist by not only shining both national and international lights on the many human rights abuses in the Bahamas, but also helping to challenge these issues in court. We do not have violent extremism in the Bahamas, but life is far from good for many migrants who are constantly abused. My organisation attempts to improve these conditions, especially for individuals who have faced physical or sexual assault, discrimination etc. on the basis of nationality. In fact, we have won a number of landmark cases which have improved conditions for Afro-Caribbean migrants in the Bahamas. Most recently, a case we won ruled that the government could not unlawfully detain and/or deport an individual from the country. I believe that victories like these help to sustain peace because they put faces, voices and stories to these abuses and marginalizations. In doing so, this helps people to see them as members of the community. It hasn’t eradicated xenophobia overnight, but it is slowly making a difference, and is causing more and more Bahamas to stand up for Haitian migrants.