International Women’s Day: Progress in the Caribbean

Today is the 101st observation of International Women’s Day, a time to shine the global spotlight on the economic, political and social achievements of women. From my perspective, although Caribbean women are still victims of sexism, machismo and other forms of discrimination—unfortunately as in every other region in the world—their successes have been remarkably profound. The right of a woman to education and political participation is hardly denied. A number of Caribbean women are parliamentarians and ministers; the current prime ministers of Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago are female.

International media are beginning to notice. The Independent (UK), in a ranking of “The Best and Worst Place to Be a Woman,” announced that the Caribbean is the best place for women to be a journalist and that the region has the highest percentage of women—almost 60 percent—working in high-skilled jobs. The Bahamas is ranked the highest for economic participation and opportunity for women. This progress shows that more people are finally divorcing from their prejudices, stereotypes and misconceptions about the societal status of women. However, as we rejoice in this euphoria it is crucial to issue a clarion call for change in areas where basic female rights are still violated, the most glaring of which is reproductive health.

Women and girls must have access to all options of modern contraception to make informed and responsible decisions about the size of their families. But this is not so. Women and girls in the Caribbean are still marginalized and negatively impacted by antiquated laws such as Sections 56 and 57 of Trinidad & Tobago’s Offences Against the Person Act, which fail to account for their sexual and reproductive rights. When I asked on Twitter about which reproductive rights matter most to women in the Caribbean, one follower noted the “need [for] access to affordable, safe and legal abortions for the pregnant poor teenagers as well as the 'successful' married women.”

Abortion is illegal in many Caribbean nations; however, there are some instances—such as when childbirth may result in death of the mother—where women are allowed, on the advice of a medical practitioner, to have an abortion. In this regard, criminalization of the act only puts people at risk. The Guttmacher Institure reports that in 2008, 46 percent of abortions in the Caribbean were unsafe. I remember in 2009, a friend sought my advice on safe abortion in Jamaica; unfortunately, the service was too expensive and the person needing the abortion used a much cheaper option, which in turn made her sick.

Women and girls taking personal responsibility for their reproductive health means being allowed to make decisions about abortion and the use of modern contraceptives. There is no better alternative.