Anti-gay court ruling in SVG
Feb. 22, 2024
Victoria Mendizabal contributed research and drafting assistance to today’s newsletter.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ top court upheld laws criminalizing gay sex last Friday, a blow for human rights activists, who argue that it perpetuates discrimination and violence against the LGBTQ+ community on the conservative Caribbean island. (Associated Press)
The case was filed in 2019 by, Javin Johnson and Sean Macleish, two gay Vincentian men living in the United Kingdom and the USA respectively, challenging the constitutionality of colonial era laws criminalizing gay intimacy. VincyCHAP (St Vincent and the Grenadines Chapter of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Partnership), a local non-governmental organization that works on HIV prevention and treatment, joined the case in 2021 as an interested party. (Human Dignity Trust)
“There are still six countries in the Americas where laws criminalizing LGBT people that have been in place since colonial times continue to dwell on the statute books. Today’s decision, predicated in part on the fact that the individual claimants do not live in St Vincent, frustratingly upholds these stigmatizing laws” stated Tea Braun, Chief Executive of Human Dignity Trust, a London-based human rights organization.
Though the laws are rarely used judicially, activists say they help legitimize physical and verbal abuse against the gay community in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
A July 2023 Human Rights Watch report found that violence and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in St Vincent and the Grenadines, which is rarely prosecuted, encourages a culture of intolerance towards queer people. It also noted that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a signatory of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits LGBTQ+ discrimination, meaning the country’s continued commitment to these laws contradicts its international obligations. (Jurist News)
Cristian González Cabrera, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, called the ruling "a travesty of justice" and said it represents "tacit state endorsement" of the discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. “It is a sad day for human rights in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the ruling will weaken the rule of law for everyone in the country”, he told for Fox News.
“These archaic and draconian colonial laws, though not strictly enforced, symbolically denigrate LGBTQ+ persons as second-class citizens in their own country and perpetuate prejudice and stigma against them. As a result, over the years, many LGBTQ+ persons in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have faced physical, verbal, and emotional abuse, family violence and rejection, dropped out of school, homelessness, unemployment, workplace harassment, bullying, and sexual violence including rape and sexual harassment”, said Equal Rights, Access and Opportunities SVG leader Jeshua Bardoo. (76 Crimes)
The ruling in two separate multi-year cases “runs counter to a series of court decisions that have overturned anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the Caribbean,” reports Erasing 76 Crimes, noting that “laws against same-sex intimacy have been canceled in Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Barbados.”
Human Rights
Haiti’s LGBT+ community faces unprecedented danger amidst the country's spiraling violence and political instability, according to 76 Crimes. January 2024 emerged as one of the most violent months in over two years, with significant civilian casualties and kidnappings underscoring the chaotic state of the nation.
Finance and Economics
The European Commission removed the Cayman Islands from the EUs list of ‘high-risk third countries’ with strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist financing regimes. (Maples Group)
The Council of the European Union has recently updated its list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes, resulting in the removal of The Bahamas, Belize, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Seychelles from the blacklist. This decision reflects improvements and compliance efforts made by these countries in addressing the EU's concerns regarding tax governance and cooperation. (Loop)
Climate and Environmental Justice
The oil spill off Tobago’s southern coast earlier this month (see last week’s Just Caribbean Updates) presents a significant environmental crisis for the region, emphasizing the delicate balance between human activities and environmental preservation. The spill, involving the overturning of the barge "Gulfstream" and a missing tugboat, underscores the risks associated with maritime and oil transport activities, especially in ecologically sensitive areas. (Global Voices)
The spill is a “stark reminder that there is no safe way to produce or transport oil, Guyanese International Lawyer Melinda Janki told Kaiteur News. “A key lesson for the whole of Guyana, government and people to learn is the need at the petroleum sector level for strict regulation of oil exploration, production and transportation followed by strict enforcement of the law”.
Satellite imagery from the European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission captured the extent of the spill, showing its movement westwards from Tobago towards areas north of Venezuela and south of Grenada. The Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and the Tobago Emergency Management Agency have been monitoring the situation, noting the spill's potential impact on local wildlife and ecosystems. (Newsweek)
Suriname faces a critical challenge as it navigates the fine line between pursuing economic development and safeguarding tribal land rights alongside environmental conservation. The country’s burgeoning gold mining and logging sectors pose significant threats to its verdant forests, simultaneously undermining the ancestral land rights of its Maroon and Indigenous populations, particularly the Saamaka people (The Guardian)
The decline of both the flying fish and the bearded fig tree in Barbados represent a critical environmental and cultural challenge for the island nation. Flying fish, an integral part of Barbados’ national dish and a key economic resource for fisherfolk, have seen their numbers drop significantly, with landings decreasing by almost 50 percent since 2011. (Global Voices)
The Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) spotlights the pressing issues confronting small-scale fisherfolk in Barbados, emphasizing the dire need for climate justice, blue justice, and social justice within the small-scale fisheries sector, through a video created by three members of the Voices from The Shore Theatre Collective. Watch.
Residents and fisherfolk of Jamaica’s Bog Walk recently staged a protest demanding compensation for the adverse impact on their livelihoods caused by two oil spills in the Rio Cobre last December, which have significantly disrupted commercial, recreational, and domestic activities associated with the river. (Jamaica Gleaner)
The Paris Agreement's goal to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels has not yet been breached. As of the end of 2020, the increase in human-induced global average surface air temperature stood at approximately 1.2°C. Projections from the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) suggest that under a very low emissions scenario, achieving net zero CO2 emissions by mid-century could limit global warming to 1.5°C around 2035, with a greater than 50% likelihood. (Climate Analytics)
Democratic Governance
Former Dominica Prime Minister Edison James was released on bail after a brief detention. He faces charges of incitement related to his participation in a United Workers Party rally in 2017, where calls were made for the resignation of the current Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit. (Loop)
Columnist Alicia Wallace criticizes Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis’ call on the media to avoid reporting crime in order to protect the country’s tourism industry “For tourists to feel more comfortable coming here, where we live, he would like to see crime reported less prominently? Our access to information would change if the media followed this suggestion. Our awareness of what is happening in this country would change. We need to know what is going on”, she wrote in The Tribune.
Guyanese human development lawyer Nigel Hughes called for a comprehensive overhaul of Guyana’s political, educational, and economic systems in order to ensure that all Guyanese can benefit from the nation's wealth in a post-ideological era. (Demerara Waves)
CARICOM’s 2023 Statistical Meetings highlighted a critical shift in how Caribbean nations approach economic measurement and policy-making. Participants emphasized the need to adopt more comprehensive measures of national wellbeing and progress, recognizing that GDP alone fails to capture the full spectrum of challenges and opportunities within the region, especially those posed by natural disasters, climate change, and social disruption. (IISD)
Reparations and Decolonization
European historian David Van Reybrouck argues that the global north’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change are more significant in rectifying colonial wrongs than actions focused on rectifying historical symbols, such as dismantling statues or renaming streets. (The Guardian)
Drug Policy
The U.S. Virgin Islands is making significant strides toward the implementation of recreational marijuana use, following the approval of an advisory board on proposed rules and regulations. This move comes after more than a year since the legislation was passed, marking a crucial advancement towards activating the law that allows the recreational consumption of cannabis across the islands. (Associated Press)
Culture
Veronica Ryan, a Montserrat-born British sculptor celebrated for winning the Turner Prize in 2022, is among the distinguished artists shortlisted for London's Fourth Plinth Commission, a prestigious public art installation space in Trafalgar Square. Ryan's proposed artwork, "Sweet Potatoes and Yams are Not the Same," features a "sweet potato island" adorned with growing vine leaves. (Repeating Islands)
In creating the Bob Marley biopic One Love, linguist Dr. Joseph Farquharson was determined to avoid the pitfalls of accent and language portrayal that films like Cool Runnings have faced. Understanding the importance of authentic cultural representation, Farquharson, alongside dialogue coach Brett Tyne and actor Kingsley Ben-Adir, who portrays Marley, focused on ensuring that the dialogue was not only authentic to Jamaican Patois but also appropriate for the era. (The Guardian)
"Three Little Birds," a BritBox series created by Sir Lenny Henry, offers a poignant look into the lives of the Windrush generation, focusing on the narratives of Caribbean immigrants who moved to Britain in the post-World War II era. The series, inspired by Henry's family history, sheds light on the challenges faced by these immigrants, including racism, professional inequalities, and the struggle to build a new life in an unfamiliar environment. (Repeating Islands)
For International Mother Language Day, Words Without Borders (WWB) highlights eight writers who contribute to the preservation of their mother languages through their literary works. Among these talents are Jean D’Amérique, a Haitian poet, playwright, novelist, and rapper writing in Haitian Creole, and Emiliana Bernard-Stephenson, a writer, educator, feminist, and the Colombian ambassador to Jamaica, who writes in San Andrés–Providencia Creole. (Repeating Islands)
Opportunities
UNDP is looking for a full-time Project Analyst based in Georgetown, Guyana. The candidate must have up to 2 years (with a Master´s degree) or a minimum of 2 years (with a Bachelor´s degree) of progressively responsible experience in project management, in access to justice, criminal justice reform, or closely related areas. More Information & Apply.
Events
For World NGO Day Trinidad and Tobago, the 27th of February, Mind Yuh Business! will held via Zoom Workshop I: Influencing Policy Change featuring Chantal La Roche, Director of Legal Services Office of the Parliament, and Kemba Jaramogui, Technical Director of Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project. Register.
15th March, The Jamaica Environment Trust, Open Society Foundations and True Costs Initiative present the Climate Litigation Seminar: Emergence and Viability in the Jamaican Framework featuring Melinda Janki, Professor Micheal Taylor, Dean of Faculty of Sciences and Technology, among others. The event will be held at the Terra Nova Suite Hotel with free cost entrance. Register.
22nd to 24th April 2024, the Third Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean, will take place in person in ECLAC, Santiago, Chile. Register.
4th to 5th of March, the SIDS Future Forum will be co-hosted by Island Innovation. The event brings together policymakers, researchers, and YOU to co-create a resilient & sustainable future for Small Island Developing States. Register.
The Latin American & Caribbean Islamic Studies Association (LACISA), in collaboration with the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative (MPI) at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), is excited to announce an online colloquium titled "Muslim Contributions to Civil Society and Philanthropy in the Caribbean," set to take place in May 2024. This event aims to explore the significant roles Muslim communities have played in fostering civil society, philanthropy, and activism within the Caribbean context. The deadline for abstract submissions is March 15, 2024. More information.