NASSAU, The Bahamas -- Key issues impacting women across the country will be discussed and/or addressed during the National Women’s Advisory Council’s (NWAC) one-day National Women’s Symposium scheduled for Saturday (February 22) at Bahamas Harvest Church, JFK Plaza, John F, Kennedy Drive.
A collaboration between the Ministry of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting, its Department of Gender and Family Affairs, and the National Women’s Advisory Council, Saturday’s symposium is expected to be the first in a continuance of the Council’s efforts to address social, legal and other matters affecting and impacting women nationwide in order to develop a national road map. NWAC is an appointed body that was established to advance women’s affairs and social matters. Council members and its sub-committees all serve on a voluntary basis.
NWAC Chair, Sharmie Farrington-Austin, said members of the Council are “really excited about the symposium and in ensuring it becomes the hallmark for women’s affairs in-country.”
“We are not just coming together to have a good time,” Farrington-Austin said. “We are looking to provide, obtain and generate information from our participants that is going to be truly transformative, that is going to truly change the lives of the women present. It is going to be a very engaging event where women from all walks of life, all sectors of society, will get an opportunity, in the same room to network, to really feel the synergy and build rapport.”
Held under the theme: “Let’s Move,” the symposium is expected to serve as “a clarion call” for the mobilization of women across all sectors, to continue to ensure that women play a defining role in articulating the way forward for current and future generations of Bahamian women.
“Our theme is based on our belief that the national women’s agenda has been lagging behind and we want to see that same energy, that same thrust that the Women’s Suffrage Movement had in their defined goal which was to secure the Right to Vote,” Farrington-Austin said.
“The journey continues, and women, as inheritors of this great legacy (the Right to Vote), need to define what our present and future goals are. We cannot stay stagnant. We have to continue to march towards all of our goals. We have to understand that we have a greater role to play across society; that we have to protect our young girls; that we have to articulate for, and ensure, an even greater future for them, just like our foremothers did with the Right to Vote.
“There is no doubt that women have made tremendous strides in some areas since the Right to Vote was attained, but what’s next for us, and how do we move forward? Women are constantly achieving, but we have to keep moving, we cannot stop until we reach our ultimate goal of ensuring that women are excelling in every area of society and are being recognized for their contributions to society.”
Special Sessions have been designed around the Protection Against Violence Act, 2023, “with a view to making recommendations to the government with regards to the roll-out and implementation and to make any other comments or recommendations as to whether or not there are any gaps or loopholes in the legislation.”
The legislation was designed to serve as a pivotal framework to protect and support victims of violence, with a particular focus on empowering women. It not only upholds international obligations, but also establishes a domestic framework to address violence and raise public awareness. Its significance lies in providing victims with the necessary tools and support to overcome their traumatic experiences, ensuring their fundamental rights to dignity, compassion, and privacy.
At its core, the Protection Against Violence Act, 2023, aims to create a safer Bahamas by addressing the pervasive issue of violence, particularly violence against women. The legislation recognizes that violence undermines the very fabric of society and endangers the well-being of citizens.
One of the key provisions of the Act is the establishment of the Protection Against Violence Commission and Secretariat. These bodies are expected to play a vital role in coordinating various stakeholders, granting funding, and providing technical assistance to strengthen the national response to violence. The Commission will ensure that the country’s international and regional obligations related to violence are met, leading to more efficient use of resources and a coordinated approach to combating violence.
Other agenda items include a discussion on mental health; a Pastor’s Corner that will address issues affecting women in the pulpit and women’s roles in nation-building, and a business and entrepreneurial session in which some of the country’s top female business leaders will participate.
Discussions will also centre on the increased role of women as nurturers and providers for families, with the increase in single parent homes.
“Of course we know many of our households are being led by single-parent women who now have to be both nurturer and provider in those homes and so we can see that the family structure has significantly changed and so we also will have a discussion that centres around the family.
“Discussions will also take place on how to balance family life with work life and all of the other activities that may be required, and so we have planned an entire session around this topic taking it from a lot of different angles. This will be another great opportunity to come and learn and share. And of course we cannot state enough the importance of having our NGOs onboard and so they are going to be exhibiting their products, and offering their services,” Farrington-Austin said, adding that participation in the symposium is free of charge.
National Women's Advisory Council Chair, Mrs. Sharmie Farrington-Austin (at left); Mrs. Sheryl Knowles, Department of Gender and Family Affairs, Ministry of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting, and Pastor Erica Moxey, Bahamas Harvest Church and NWAC Council member during an appearance on the Spence Finlayson Show promoting the one-day National Women's Symposium.
