I consider it a very special privilege and honour to have been invited to address and to officially open this seminar which has been organized under the auspices of the Royal Bahamas Police Reserves.

I would wish at the outset to congratulate the Royal Bahamas Police Reserves on their 40th Anniversary.  All of us in the wider community fully appreciate and applaud the wonderful work which has been done by the Reserves and continues right up to this day in assisting and augmenting the work of policing throughout our country over these many years.  In fact, were it not for the Reservists many of our Family Island communities would be without the presence of a police authority on occasions and so I say well done!

This morning’s event is a very special one in that the participants are all women, the focus is entirely on women and the topics are all relative to matters which are of prime concern to women, whether in their professional or personal lives.

Topics such as Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Gender Equality In The Work Place, and The Role Of A Mother/Wife/Career are all very relevant to this audience and I hope that through your deliberations today you will come to a better understanding, a clearer grasp of these issues, and of course meaningful solutions as to how to confront these entrenched issues.

We can all appreciate that our society, today, has become far more transparent than that of a decade or four decades ago when the Royal Bahamas Police Reserves was established.  Many of the topics that are being discussed in today’s seminar would never have faced the glare of light forty years ago.  But because of the changes in our society, and because of greater sensitivity to social issues, these topics are now commonly discussed and must of course be confronted.

There are two items on your Agenda which I think are among the more vexing of problems that we, as a society, must face up to.  These are the problems of Child Abuse and Domestic Violence.  The conventional image that is often portrayed when we think of Child Abuse is that of physical beating and physical manhandling of children.  And while this most certainly is a form of child abuse this is not the only form of child abuse and its lasting effects may not be as damaging as the other form of abuse that I wish to speak to.    This is not to say that I personally condone physical or corporal punishment, as I do believe there are other ways of disciplining children, but in my view, the greatest form of child abuse is the mental and psychological form of abuse, which so many Bahamian children undergo on a daily basis.  Regrettably, many adults cannot distinguish or are unaware when these types of abuse or such forms of abuses take place, as we seem to regard it as standard practice and a standard form of parenting.

What are some of the common characteristics of mental and physical abuse?    One that comes readily to mind is the use of abusive language to children which is so commonplace in many homes and families. Sadly, many adults believe that the best way of getting a child’s attention is through loud and profane language and abusive words.  This form of child abuse take as great a toll or can have a deeper and far lingering effect on young minds, perhaps more than  physical beating or punishment.

Another form of child abuse that has a major impact on a child’s psychological formation and mental and educational development is the matter of lowering the esteem of children.  We have all experienced instances where adults and parents used words such as “stupid”, “dumb”, “idiot”, and even some more profane of words.  Psychologists and educators tell us that this is not good for the wholesome development of a child in that it lowers their esteem and causes them to form barriers which sometimes prevent them from blossoming into true and creative young persons.  The end result is that abused children go on to become insecure and ill-equipped adults who often find it difficult to adjust to the world and those around them.

So when we look at this question of child abuse I am asking that we look beyond the obvious and we should seek to come up with solutions to soften our tones and calm the spirits of our young ones and provide an enriching environment in which children could strive and develop and thus grow into meaningful adulthood.

Almost the same thing could be said about domestic violence.  In fact, one can possibly trace the high incidences of domestic violence to some of the symptoms manifested in child abuse cases.

I am sure that those of you who work in and around the law enforcement and criminal justice system would know that there has been an increasing trend in reported cases of domestic violence.  But this is not the end of the story as there are many unreported cases which occur daily in homes throughout The Bahamas.   Sadly, only the more glaring cases come to the public’s attention and only the really courageous seek help and assistance.

Unquestionably, incidences of domestic violence are a serious and upward spiraling trend that leads, eventually, to the breakdown of marriages, home and family life.  Time would not permit me to enumerate all of the incidences of domestic violence which women and, in some instances, men have to endure but surely one can feel and see in our society a simmering tension just beneath the surface in many homes which leads to physical fights, verbal abuse and many other forms of domestic abuse, including in not too few cases, even murder.

One way of dealing with this type of social disorder is by way of counselling and other forms of therapy.  But these types of treatment, by their very nature, come after the fact.   What is really needed, in my view, is for us to examine the underlying causes that lead to such explosions of anger and to begin to deal with these issues.  I believe better education, better social conditions, such as improved housing and physical recreation facilities, to name but a few, and better mental health could, most certainly, go a long way in addressing head-on some of the instances of domestic violence.

Our society has developed to a level of sophistication where relationships between couples should not be based on violence and abuse.  Women are not chattels and I believe that a new generation of Bahamian men must come to a greater appreciation of the worth and value of a sound relationship with their partners free from the fear of domestic violence.

I trust that these and many other ideas will surface in this room today.  I hope that as women committed to change and as women who are prepared to be leaders in this community you will not only discuss these matters but that you will examine ways in which many of the four issues on your agenda can be remedied for the improvement and betterment of our Bahamian society.

In closing, I wish to convey to all of you my best wishes for a truly meaningful seminar today.  The matters under discussion are all pertinent to today’s society and they need and require our full attention.   With these few words, I have great pleasure in declaring this programme officially opened.

Thank you very much.

10th August 2005