The Caribbean Court of Justice ruled against the Barbados Court of Appeal in a landmark domestic abuse case. The court delivered a scathing rebuke to the Barbados magistrate who handled the woman’s plea for protection against her ex-partner with whom she shares a child, and Court of Appeal which upheld the the magistrate’s dismissal of her application.
The justices also suggested that Caribbean governments set up special courts to handle domestic violence cases, reports Barbados Today.
Women’s groups hailed the decision, reports Barbados Today separately.
The judgement “confirmed a broad and purposive, rights-centric, and contextually sensitive interpretation and application of legislation, to ensure the recognition and protection of all victims-survivors of domestic violence. One more step in developing a truly Caribbean jurisprudence”, said Caribbean Court of Justice Chairman Peter Jamadar.
Human rights concerns over security mission to Haiti
As an assessment team from Kenya prepares to head to Port-au-Prince and New York later this month to hold consultations about its offer to assist the Haitian national police in its fight against gangs, the U.S. seeks to raise additional support from the international community for a multinational force that they hope will go beyond the 1,000 police officers Kenya is considering deploying Haiti, reports the Miami Herald.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said his country could contribute troops to the mission. (Jamaica Gleaner)
The Bahamas, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago have previously indicated potential contributions to an international force in Haiti. (Miami Herald)
“The Kenya-led mission would be a hybrid arrangement. It would operate under a Security Council mandate but U.N. staff won’t have the same kind of monitoring and oversight capabilities that they would have with a peacekeeping operation. Still, the U.N. will be blamed for any shortcomings,” reports the Miami Herald.
Human rights groups have raised significant concerns about the Kenyan police force’s record, which they say makes them a problematic option to lead a security mission to assist Haitian law enforcement. Violations include beating protesters and gunning down civilians during Covid-19 curfews, killing as many as 30 people in protests last month, and alleged forced disappearances. (Guardian, Associated Press.)
Many Haitians have expressed skepticism over Kenya’s offer to lead a multinational force, but also said ongoing bloodshed in their country leaves them with few other options, reports Al Jazeera.
Others fear the international mission would strengthen the hand of interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry, reports Responsible Statecraft. Experts suggest that the Biden administration is seeking a way to navigate the current circumstance with minimal political downsides for Washington. In that context, the U.S. and its partners may opt for re-establishing a basic level of stability and security in Haiti to keep the current leader in power, rather than push for elections.
CIJN looks at Gun Violence in the Caribbean
The Caribbean Investigative Journalism Network published a series of articles by correspondents in Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, examining of the multi-faceted nature of the phenomenon of gun violence in the Caribbean. (See May 2’s Just Caribbean Updates.)
“What seems clear is that a multi-pronged attack on all aspects of criminal violence, with special focus on the use of firearms, is being recognised as a key component of addressing an unfolding scenario of violence and death. With evidence that the vast majority of weapons land on Caribbean shores from the United States of America, regional governments have joined with Mexico to hold U.S. gun-makers legally liable for the trafficking of arms along the island chain.”
The CIJN investigates the flow of illegal guns to Barbados, one that parallels paths to other countries in the Caribbean.
Grenada is experiencing a rise in illegal firearm possession this year, with 31 guns confiscated in the first six months compared to 16 in the same period the previous year. Efforts are being made to address the issue, including a "zero tolerance" approach to illegal firearm possession and calls for stricter penalties, as well as concerns about the origins of these firearms, many of which come from the U.S. — CIJN
Illegal firearms have become a weapon of choice for criminals in Trinidad and Tobago, contributing to a high rate of violent crime. The ease of acquiring these weapons, often through smuggling routes from Venezuela, is a major concern for authorities. The issue highlights the need for consistent enforcement and effective management to address violent crime, according to the CIJN.
Jamaica struggles to stem the illegal importation of guns — the government estimates that 200 guns are smuggled into Jamaica each month, approximately 2,400 annually, by criminal gangs. Nearly all the guns and ammunition smuggled into Jamaica. — CIJN
Like many of its Caribbean counterparts, Guyana has struggled to effectively combat the illegal gun trade/trafficking market. Will a new bill aimed at improving the capacity of the criminal justice system to counter the illicit proliferation and misuse of firearms — the drafting is funded by Germany and is being done in cooperation with Caricom and a UN agency — be enough? — CIJN
More Guns
Two Trinidad and Tobago nationals, Tevin OBrian Oliver and Jameal Kaia Phillip, have been sentenced to four years and nine months in U.S. federal prison for conspiring to smuggle firearms and related items from the United States to Trinidad and Tobago. (Loop)
Climate and Environmental Justice
Guyana and Suriname are participating in the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, being held in Brazil this week. Leaders hope to advance on issues including financing mechanisms for sustainable development, provisions for including Indigenous leaders in policymaking, and shared strategies for tackling deforestation. (See Latin America Daily Briefing.)
The ocean plays a vital role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and stabilizing the world's climate, but its ability to absorb carbon dioxide has been affected by climate change impacts. There is an urgent need for increased support and financing mechanisms to enable the successful implementation of ocean-based climate action in the Caribbean region.(Science Direct)
Human rights lawyer and advocate Malene Alleyene emphasizes that addressing the climate crisis should focus on eradicating current systems that promote inequality rather than merely addressing the symptoms of climate injustice in the Caribbean. (Climate Tracker)
The Oil and Gas Governance Network is concerned about the environmental risks posed by the increased oil production in Guyana. OGGN requests the Government of Guyana to secure and publish certificates from stress tests conducted on the FPSOs to ensure they can safely handle the increased production levels. (Kaieteur News)
There appears to be a lack of enforcement by authorities on policies related to water conservation, management, financing, and monitoring of freshwater sources and aquifers in Dominica, reports Climate Tracker. Several policies such as the Establishment of a government-run Water Resources Management Agency are recommended to address these challenges.
The Green Leaf Awards 2023 Youth Edition has given the Video Challenge Merit Award to Jamala Alexander, Caleb Edwards, Kyron De Silv, and Megan Pirali of Yugen Stories for their video on air pollution.
Migration
“International law has yet to adapt to a changing climate and its implications for those most vulnerable.” An article in Michigan State International Law Review applies “a human rights lens to climate induced displacement,” looking at the examples of Central America’s Northern Triangle and Raizal communities in the island of Providencia, Colombia.
Justice
The Chinese Landing Village Council in Guyana has rejected a government fact-finding mission and instead called for the administration to address their safety concerns. The concerns stem from outside miners working on a concession in the area, armed with high-powered rifles and threatening to harass residents on their lands. (Kaieteur News, see last week’s Just Caribbean Updates)
Human Rights
A social worker wrote a letter to shed light on the toxic environment prevalent in some “do-good” organizations, particularly NGOs and charities. “People become mentally and physically ill; there is a high turnover rate; morale is low; there are cliques and grumbling; there is disengagement; and people burn out”, expresses the worker to Kaieteur News.
The Caribbean and The World
Jamaican-born Judge Tanya Sue Chutkan will be presiding over the case against former US President Donald Trump, who has been indicted for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. (Jamaica Observer)
Decolonisation
The Eastern Caribbean Currency Union consisting of eight countries using the Eastern Caribbean Dollar approved the removal of the British Monarch's image from their currency notes, reports The Voice.
Economics and Finance
An article in The MIT Press' Global Environmental Politics identifies fourteen tactics used by developed countries to block progress on loss and damage finance. “These tactics have limited the issue’s scope, reduced transparency, manipulated language, and advanced non-transformative solutions”, write the authors.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) warns of new record levels of public debt that are affecting many developing countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cost of living crisis, and climate change impacts. The debt burden makes it challenging for these countries to respond to emergencies, address climate change, and invest in essential social services. (Geneva Solutions)
Democratic Governance
The political atmosphere in Jamaica is marked by constant, irritating, bickering and unprofessional behavior from political actors according to Petchary´s Blog. As a consequence, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) is calling for respect, decency and integrity in the country's political leadership.
The Corruption in the Caribbean is an original data source designed and collected by the World Justice Project that measures perceptions of and experiences with corruption in the Caribbean. Read the full report here.
Women’s Rights and LGBTQ+
The bare minimum in addressing gender-based violence is not satisfactory and substantive actions to meet human rights obligations and combat gender-based violence effectively are called. “Glossing over human rights obligations and rushing to check boxes will not stand”, states Alicia Wallace in an article for The Tribune.
The Guyanese organization Red Thread is facing death threats in response to their feminist work and resistance to extractivism, including speaking out against femicides and addressing the complexities of life in the oil boom, reports HGP TV
Helen’s Daughters in Saint Lucia provides opportunities for women to drive sustainable development through sustainable agriculture. A recent conversation with founder Keithlin Caroo at Climate Analytics.
Culture
Jamaican writer Safiya Sinclair writes about her “Rastafari Childhood” in the New Yorker — excerpts at Repeating Islands.
Jamaican Jewish historian Tyler Samuels spoke about how Jewish life in the Caribbean was the result of Jews fleeing persecution during the Spanish Inquisition in an episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism. (Repeating Islands)
Christina Kullberg’s open-access Points of Entanglement in French Caribbean Travel Writing (1620-1722) argues for a literary re-examination of the representation of the early colonial Caribbean by proposing theoretical linkages to contemporary Caribbean theories of creolization and archipelagic thinking. (Repeating Islands)
The story of the ‘little Russian houses’ in Havana, Cuba, in photos — Periodismo de Barrio and translated in Global Voices.
Events
5 Aug. Conference A New Capital City for Guyana: optional or imperative? Moray House Trust — Registration and further information.
10 Aug. Placemaking: Shaping a Vibrant and Accessible Kingston on Thursday August 10th. Island City Lab is hosting a virtual conversation with Norman Garrick to explore how accessible urban policies can create livable cities and vibrant public spaces, promote walkable and bikeable communities and foster a sense of place and community in Kingston. Register
8-10 Sept. Climate Gen Z Conference aims to improve and expand activism on climate change issues — The Journal of CESaRE in partnership with The Cropper Foundation
Opportunities
SKN Rural Women's Ag-cademy 2023 of Helen's Daughters — a virtual training program open to women interested in agriculture in St. Kitts and Nevis only. Register
The Global Center of Adapataion has announced that the 2023 GCA Local Adaptation Champions Award applications.
On July 11th the Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and ParlAmericas jointly hosted a virtual event, “Towards effective environmental governance: Access to information, participation, and justice”. Find the full conference here.
Subscribe and read Amnesty International’s July Caribbean newsletter.