Fresh from celebrating Women’s Week 2014 in the spirit of achievement Anguilla is now to achieve a new status in gender affairs on an international scale. The island is to have the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women CEDAW) extended to it.
The announcement was made by Her Excellency the Governor, Christina Scott, while hosting a special reception for women at Government House on Thursday, March 6. The Governor said an official request was made to the British Government to that end.
According to the press release, CEDAW embraces the principle of equality between men and women. It prohibits discrimination affecting women’s enjoyment of political, economic, social, cultural, civil and other rights on an equal basis with men. The release explained that by accepting CEDAW, countries and territories commit themselves to ending discrimination against women in all forms so that they – along with men – can enjoy all of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The release, from the Governor’s Office and the Ministry of Home Affairs, stated that the request to the British Government was made on the eve of International Women’s Day. It was the culmination of years of work to meet the criteria required to request the extension of the Convention to Anguilla.
The preparatory work to date includes conducting legislative and policy audit confirming that Anguilla has satisfactory legislative measures to protect the principle of equality; training Police and Probation Officers in Sexual and Gender-based violence in Anguilla; appointing a Gender Development Coordinator, which lays the groundwork for the formal commissioning of a Gender Affairs Unit; and raising the profile of gender issues in the community through open days, interviews in the local media and a bi-weekly column, in The Anguillian newspaper, titled “The Gender Corner.”
Governor Scott made the following comment: “As its first female Governor, I am delighted that Anguilla has made this important step in its human rights history. Significant progress has been made over the years to improve gender equality, and we have a strong legal framework in place to protect women’s rights. I look forward to doing whatever I can to further this cause, including working with Ministers to see the Domestic Violence Bill enacted.”
The Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon Jerome Roberts, had this to say:
“The Government of Anguilla and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Gender Affairs Unit, are proud to have accomplished this milestone in our nation’s history. We are showing our strong commitment to human rights, and social justice, on our island by ensuring that we implement the best policies of international protocol to end all forms of discrimination against women. We will continue to advance the affairs of both women and men until we achieve a just and equitable society.”
Once ratified, Anguilla will join the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands – as British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean – which have had CEDAW extended to them.
