“Call it something other than rape” – The Nassau Guardian March 2022

Excerpt from this article; If the goal of criminalizing marital rape is to get convictions, then the government ‘better call it something other than rape.’ Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe, said yesterday”.  From the very moment that the Minister of National Security made this comment, I knew that he was going to be someone to watch and a potential problem to our national security, and just for the record I have asked on numerous occasions but never got an answer back from Mr. Munroe on, “something else” like what?

With this in mind let us begin at this point.  A fire storm was set off earlier this week when the acting Director of Public Prosecution, Frankly Williams, handed down the sentence of four years imprisonment in the matter concerning a 40-year-old man who had sexual intercourse with a 14 year old female and eventually got her pregnant.

“Williams must resign over risky comments” – The Tribune, March 2022

Excerpt from this article; “The acting director of public prosecutions has come under fire after telling a reporter the country has a ‘generation of highly sexualized young people’ who engage in risky behaviors’.

Franklyn Williams made the remarks yesterday when he was asked to comment about a man’s plea deal for unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl.  After his comments circulated on Twitter, there were calls for him to resign from activist Alicia Wallace.  His remarks we also condemned by Free national Movement Senator Michaela Barnett Ellis.

According to a report from a local daily, a 40-year-old man who impregnated a 14-year-old girl was sentenced to four years in prison as part of a plea deal.  After he serves his time, he will be on probation for three years.

The man’s sentence promoted public criticism, with many observers thinking that it was too lenient.

When contacted after the case, Mr. Williams told a reporter yesterday, ‘We have a generation of highly sexualized young people, whether through media or association, who because of parental inaction, lack of parental oversight and in some cases, tacit encouragement and acquiescence, engage in risky behavior.  The facts of this case dictated the course taken.”

While I feel his ruling was somehow based in opinion and pinned in emotion, I do not believe that it was “victim blaming” and I figured that it would and should have sparked a more serious dialogue that I feel that we should be having and that is parents acting talking to their children about these matters, boys and girls.  I remember there was a time when the old people use to tell young girls that “Old man does give ya worms”, this was an attempt to address this delicate issue back then and I felt that we as a nation; a people had progressed to a point wherein we would/should be able to successfully have these conversations with our children – I guess I was wrong.  I ask the people that say; “Well she was only 14”, did she realize that at the time? Maybe if she had had a conversation she would have realized this.

But just as emotions begun to settle down and rational thought begun to be applied once again, we had the Minister of National Security, Wayne Munroe add his opinion of the matter.  Now if it was in an attempt to help Mr. Franklyn Williams, one can only wonder.

“Bahamian Minister of National Security says 40-year-old man who had sex with 14-year-old girl got too harsh a sentence” – Caribbean National Weekly March 2022

Excerpt from this article; “Bahamian Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe has been receiving heavy criticism following his statement that the four-year prison sentence imposed on a 40-year-old man who impregnated a 14-year-old school girl was too long because the victim was willing to have sex with the man.

‘If I were advising the accused and someone gets seven years for raping someone, I wouldn’t be advising my client to agree to four years for unlawful intercourse, because I would say that if we go to court, you would say to the judge, ‘He didn’t rape her.  She consented.’ He said when asked on the issue.

A 40-year –old Bahamian man was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to five counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 14-yerar-old girl, the result of the plea deal.

Munroe when commenting on the ruling said, ‘if you were to rape a virgin and if you were to rape a prostitute, both are rape, but you’re likely to be awarded a higher sentence for raping a nun than raping a prostitute. ‘That’s just what the case was.’

Munroe further argued that having sex with a person under the age of consent ‘is not rape’ and said he does not understand the controversy over the issue.  He considers its just being punished because as a big man you shouldn’t be having sex with anyone under 16.” Mr. Munroe then goes on to, make other statements that to me are shameful and extremely reckless as he seems to think like a defense attorney and not a person that has been elected to set legislation to actually protect the citizenry.

“Sex with a person under the age of consent is not rape?” Really?!

The comments made by the Minister of National Security on this matter, besides being very disturbing, can also be labelled as the very definition of “victim blaming”, yet it would appear that a lot of his colleagues agree with him, as they remain silent on the matter and allow him to keep talking.

“Munroe: Sex With Girl 14, ‘Not rape’: Minister Says Teens Victim in Court Case Consented Despite being Too Young” – The Tribune, 2022

Excerpt from this article; “NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe suggested yesterday that a 40-year-old man convicted of having unlawful sex with a 14-year-old girl received a sentence that was too severe, saying had he defended the case he would have argued it was not rape and that the girl consented.” 

Legally, can a minor consent to having sex with an older person?  According to Prime Minister Davis in statement released today, No; as it is Davis’ contention that “the law is designed to protect children, who cannot meaningfully offer consent, and it should be enforced to the fullest.”

So it would appear that the April Fool of the Day is the Minister of National Security and all that support and tried to justify the dangerous precedent that he was attempting to make seem as normal.

He should be fired and if the prime minister wishes his party to be viewed as NEW and PROGRESSIVE and wants to be the government that actually moves the country forward, he will be fire IMMEDIATELY.

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