Carib Scope

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  • Human capital: Does the Dominican Republic have what it takes to respond to new investments in high technology?

    Human capital: Does the Dominican Republic have what it takes to respond to new investments in high technology?

    During a meeting with Spanish business leaders in Madrid, Dominican Republic’s Minister of Industry, Commerce, and SMEs Eduardo “Yayo” Sanz Lovatón delivered a confident response when asked whether the country has the skilled human capital required to build a sustainable semiconductor industry: “We do.”

    This bold assertion, however, obscures a far more nuanced reality that Dominican government officials openly acknowledge. Current enrollment data from the country’s university system confirms that developing a workforce tailored to advanced high-tech sectors remains a work in progress, not a completed goal.

    During his Madrid trade mission, Sanz Lovatón’s core objective was to court international investors and encourage them to diversify their holdings beyond the Dominican Republic’s dominant tourism sector. A centerpiece of this outreach was the announcement of a new collaboration agreement with Spain’s prestigious School of Industrial Organization (EOI), an institution that has partnered with Dominican higher education programs for years to deliver professional training. The new deal creates 150 specialized scholarships exclusively for Dominican women holding managerial roles in the industrial sector.

    Developed in partnership with the Dominican Ministry of Women, the training program will use a blended learning model: seven core modules will be delivered online, with a final in-person capstone course hosted in Santo Domingo. The curriculum covers high-demand skills aligned with modern industrial evolution, including women’s leadership development, project management, digital transformation, Industry 4.0 framework adoption, quality management systems, and circular economy implementation.

    “Through this alliance, the Dominican Republic and Spain reaffirm our longstanding cooperative ties, advancing female talent as a core driver of 4.0 industrial transformation,” Sanz Lovatón stated during the official signing ceremony.

    The targeted focus on women in this partnership is no coincidence. Official data from the Dominican Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Mescyt) shows that while women make up the majority of total university enrollees across the country, they remain severely underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Of the 91,163 students enrolled in Dominican STEM programs in 2024, just 26,270 are women, compared to 64,893 male students.

    The EOI scholarship initiative is just one component of the Dominican government’s broader push to expand its high-tech industrial base. Sanz Lovatón also highlighted ongoing progress on the National Strategy for the Promotion of the Semiconductor Industry (ENFIS), a national plan that has already secured partnerships with both local Dominican universities and leading higher education institutions based in the United States.

    Despite these proactive steps, significant structural challenges remain. Semiconductors—the essential microchips that power everything from electric vehicles to cloud-based artificial intelligence data centers—require a specialized workforce of trained engineers, technicians, physicists, and mathematicians. These are exactly the skill profiles that the current Dominican university system produces in far lower numbers than needed to support a fully developed domestic semiconductor industry.

    2024 Mescyt data illustrates the scale of the gap: total higher education enrollment across the Dominican Republic reached 520,524 students this year, but STEM fields account for only 91,163 enrollees, or roughly 17.5% of the total student body. The most popular fields of study for Dominican students remain traditional professions: medicine, law, and accounting. A separate analysis from the National Association of Young Entrepreneurs found that only 12% of young Dominican students enroll in high-growth, high-wage fields that include STEM and language studies.

    This reality raises a critical question: can targeted scholarship programs and international partnerships alone close a foundational skills gap that originates long before students enter university?

    For Sanz Lovatón, the government’s long-term strategy is rooted in market alignment. He argues that once semiconductor investments and advanced manufacturing operations take root in the country, the labor market will send clear signals to young people about which career paths offer the greatest opportunity. “The nature of these technologies is that they are constantly changing. So we continue to create opportunities to prepare our people,” he concluded.

  • Indomet and NOAA warn that extreme heat in the Dominican Republic will persist for two weeks

    Indomet and NOAA warn that extreme heat in the Dominican Republic will persist for two weeks

    A prolonged period of dangerous extreme heat is set to grip the Dominican Republic for the next 14 days, joint projections from the Dominican Institute of Meteorology (Indomet) and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have confirmed. The sweltering conditions will be most severe across the country’s northwest, northern, and southwest regions, where peak daytime temperatures are expected to climb between 35°C and 39°C. When combined with the region’s characteristic high humidity, the real-feel heat index will push even higher, creating increased health risks for residents.

    Meteorologists have traced the current heat pattern to a confluence of overlapping climate factors. As the country enters its climatologically hottest months of July and August, the event is being amplified by a persistent high-pressure system that draws warm east-southeast winds across the island. Low to moderate levels of Saharan dust covering the national territory, paired with a currently moderate-strength El Niño phenomenon, have further skewed conditions toward suppressed rainfall and well-above-average temperatures across the Caribbean basin.

    The prolonged heat forecast comes on the heels of a record-breaking June 2026 for the Dominican Republic, which saw multiple all-time temperature records toppled across the country. The most dramatic new mark was set in Sabaneta, Santiago Rodríguez province, where a reading of 39.9°C on June 29 broke a 62-year-old previous record of 38.5°C that had stood since 1964. Other sites also saw historic highs: Mao in Valverde province hit 38.4°C, Jimaní in Independencia reached 38.2°C, and two separate weather stations in the capital region of Santo Domingo also broke long-standing records. Santo Domingo East recorded 36.6°C, beating the 2019 previous high of 36.0°C, while the Las Américas station hit 35.9°C, surpassing the 2020 record of 35.5°C.

    In response to the ongoing threat, Indomet has issued a series of public health guidelines to help residents stay safe. The agency advises all citizens to maintain consistent hydration, wear loose, light-colored breathable clothing, regularly apply broad-spectrum sunscreen, and avoid any unnecessary outdoor exposure during the peak heat window of 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Special emphasis has been placed on monitoring vulnerable groups, including young children, older adults, and people with pre-existing chronic health conditions, who face the highest risk of heat-related illness. Indomet says it will continue to track shifting conditions and issue regular updates through its official communications channels.

    The Dominican Republic’s extreme heat event is part of a broader global pattern of dangerous heat waves that are currently disrupting life across North America and Europe. In the United States, an estimated 238 million people – roughly 70% of the total national population – are currently exposed to heat conditions classified as dangerous by the U.S. National Weather Service. To avoid widespread power outages driven by record air conditioning demand, large energy users including major data centers have been ordered to cut consumption to preserve grid stability in the eastern part of the country. Across the Atlantic, Europe is also reeling from the impacts of record heat: France’s public health agency reported that roughly 1,000 excess deaths occurred during last week’s peak heat, while eastern Germany recorded an unprecedented new record for warm overnight temperatures, with the mercury staying above 29.4°C (84.9°F) in Kubschütz, Saxony.

  • Sunday with less rain and a higher concentration of Saharan dust; sweltering heat

    Sunday with less rain and a higher concentration of Saharan dust; sweltering heat

    This coming Sunday, the Dominican Republic will see a significant shift in its weather patterns, as a dry air mass carrying moderate levels of Saharan dust moves into the region, bringing a sharp drop in the likelihood of widespread rain across most of the country.

    While the preceding tropical wave continues to drift away from the nation, an upper-level trough will remain anchored over the area. Combined with localized geographic effects, this system will drive increased cloud buildup over the Central Mountain Range and the country’s northeast, covering provinces including Espaillat, Hermanas Mirabal, La Vega, Monseñor Nouel, southern Santiago, and Santiago Rodríguez. Meteorologists predict scattered local afternoon downpours in these zones, with a chance of accompanying thunderstorms and sudden wind gusts.

    In a key update, the National Forecast Center under the Dominican Institute of Meteorology (Indomet) has ended the incremental weather alert system that was previously in place for multiple provinces, even as low-level risks of urban flooding persist in those areas.

    The arrival of Saharan dust, paired with the typical warm conditions of this time of year, will leave most of the country experiencing unseasonably hot temperatures. In response, Indomet has issued ongoing public guidance to help residents beat the heat: stay consistently hydrated, opt for light-colored, loose-fitting clothing, seek out cool, well-ventilated spaces, and avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight between the peak heating hours of 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

    Officials are urging additional care for children, older adults, and pregnant people, as these groups are the most susceptible to heat-related illness and adverse health effects.

    Breaking down forecasts for specific regions, the Greater Santo Domingo area can expect a mix of occasional cloud breaks and periods of overcast skies. Temperatures will range from a low of 23°C (73°F) to 25°C (77°F) overnight and in the early morning, climbing to a high between 32°C (90°F) and 34°C (93°F) during the daytime.

    Looking ahead to Monday, isolated showers are projected for coastal regions adjacent to the Caribbean and along the northeast coast in the early hours of the day. Most other parts of the country will stay partly cloudy through the morning. While afternoon conditions will remain fair across many regions, the combination of the lingering trough, regional wind patterns, and local effects will increase cloud cover over towns in the southeastern, northeastern, Central Mountain Range, and border regions. Local downpours, possible thunderstorms, and gusty winds are forecast for these zones, with all unstable weather expected to die down by nightfall.

  • Protests over precarious conditions at the Barsequillo Hospital in Haina

    Protests over precarious conditions at the Barsequillo Hospital in Haina

    In Haina, a municipality in the Dominican Republic’s San Cristóbal province, a public health crisis is unfolding at Barsequillo Municipal Hospital, where frontline healthcare workers have taken collective action to expose years of unaddressed systemic failures that threaten both patient care and staff safety.

    Protesting peacefully on the hospital’s own grounds, clinical and administrative workers detailed a cascading set of crises that have left the facility unable to deliver consistent, safe care: widespread structural decay of aging infrastructure, persistent technical breakdowns of critical equipment, and a crippling shortage of trained staff across nearly every department. Union representatives leading the demonstration emphasized that staff have formally registered their complaints with governing bodies for more than three years, yet no comprehensive solution has been implemented.

    Today, core care areas including inpatient wards and operating rooms still operate without reliable climate control, exposing patients and medical teams to extreme temperatures while creating constant risks of electrical failures and unsanitary conditions. Beyond infrastructure gaps, the facility faces crippling shortages of essential medical supplies, life-saving equipment, and core operational funding. The staffing shortfall is particularly acute: the hospital is currently missing critical roles including bioanalysts, patient orderlies, registered nurses, general practitioners, and specialized clinicians in high-demand, life-saving fields such as anesthesiology, pediatrics, and emergency medicine.

    Union leaders stressed that Barsequillo Municipal Hospital serves as a foundational healthcare provider for the entire local Haina community, making its unstable operating conditions untenable. “This hospital plays a fundamental role in serving the local population, and therefore cannot continue operating under conditions that compromise the quality, safety, and continuity of health services,” representatives said. The union has issued an urgent call for direct intervention from the Dominican Republic’s National Health Service (NHS), requesting targeted support to overhaul administrative management and shore up the hospital’s overall safety infrastructure.

    In a formal response issued through a press statement, hospital director Dr. Susana Mateo pushed back on several of the staff’s claims while acknowledging ongoing work to address facility gaps. Dr. Mateo confirmed that the facility has recently begun infrastructure improvements focused on air conditioning, with installation of 30 new cooling units kicking off last Wednesday across multiple hospital zones. Work is scheduled to continue through the week to complete all planned installations, she said.

    The director also refuted claims of drug and supply shortages, noting that the hospital maintains four dedicated storage warehouses that are structured to ensure consistent, timely access to all necessary medications and basic medical supplies. Looking ahead, Dr. Mateo announced that the facility is preparing to onboard a cohort of new physicians and specialists in the coming days to expand service capacity and improve the overall quality of care delivered to local patients.

  • Strike balance between qualifications, invaluable experience in promoting teachers- APNU

    Strike balance between qualifications, invaluable experience in promoting teachers- APNU

    On a Friday ahead of the July 4, 2026 update, Guyana’s main parliamentary opposition bloc, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), publicly condemned the Ministry of Education for cutting the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) out of the process of drafting a controversial new teacher promotions framework, arguing the policy unfairly skews rewards toward academic credentials at the expense of on-the-job experience.

    For decades, formal collaboration between the Ministry of Education and the GTU has been the standard practice for setting teacher promotion criteria, a long-standing tradition the government side abandoned when rolling out the updated system, APNU representatives emphasized during a press briefing. APNU is led by the People’s National Congress Reform, one of the country’s major opposition political forces.

    When contacted for comment on Saturday following the opposition’s public criticism, the Ministry of Education had not issued an immediate response to address the claims.

    At the core of the opposition’s objection is the revised scoring structure for promotions. Under the previous system, teachers earned incremental service credit that added up to two points per year of classroom work. The new framework drastically reduces that weight: educators now only receive one point for every five years of service, while assigning far higher point values to different levels of academic qualifications.

    Breaking down the new scoring, APNU notes that a Bachelor’s degree carries 14 points, a Graduate Diploma is worth 6 points, an Advanced Graduate Diploma 10 points, a certification in Education Management 8 points, a Master’s degree 15 points, and a PhD 18 points. By this math, the opposition calculates that a Bachelor’s degree alone carries more weight than 70 years of frontline teaching experience, while a PhD outranks 90 years of in-classroom service.

    While APNU acknowledges that incentivizing teachers to pursue further academic training is a worthwhile goal, the bloc argues the restructured system unfairly erases the value of decades of practical teaching experience. This shift disproportionately harms veteran educators, particularly those who are already nearing the end of their careers, leaving them at a major disadvantage for promotion, APNU says. The opposition adds that the new rules deny well-qualified veteran teachers earned promotion opportunities, creating a deeply inequitable system for the country’s educator workforce.

    “The message being sent by this framework is clear: experience counts for almost nothing,” APNU stated. “That is the unavoidable conclusion when five years of service in front of students earns just one point. But it is through real-world classroom experience that teachers develop the judgment, campus leadership, classroom management abilities, and hands-on practical wisdom that no textbook or degree program can ever teach.”

    The most severe harm falls on educators nearing retirement, the opposition argues. Many of these veteran teachers entered the profession at a time when opportunities for advanced academic training were far more limited than they are today, and penalizing them with rule changes so late in their careers is an unnecessary injustice, APNU says. For these teachers, promotions are not just a matter of professional recognition: they directly impact end-of-career gratuity payments and post-retirement pension benefits, meaning the new rules threaten the long-term financial security of educators who have spent their careers serving Guyana’s education system.

    Responding to the potential counterargument that veteran teachers can simply return to school to earn additional credentials, APNU parliamentarian Ganesh Mahipaul noted that this guidance is meaningless for educators who have already put in 30 to 35 years of service and are only a few years away from retirement.

  • ‘It’s not what it used to be’: Has Rodney Bay lost its appeal?

    ‘It’s not what it used to be’: Has Rodney Bay lost its appeal?

    On a typical Friday night at 9:30, Rodney Bay — long celebrated as Saint Lucia’s top destination for dining, nightlife and tourist recreation — should hum with the energy of crowds spilling from restaurants and laughter echoing along its main strip. But a recent on-site visit in mid-June revealed a starkly different scene: parked vehicles line the curbs in far greater numbers than pedestrians, and the majority of dining tables sit empty across the area’s once-popular hospitality venues.

    A local property manager and real estate professional, who has deep ties to Rodney Bay’s tourism industry and spoke on condition of anonymity, recently shared his deep frustration with the area’s steady decline with the St. Lucia Times. For years, he has overseen multiple commercial and residential properties in the heart of what Tourism Minister Ernest Hilaire has officially called Saint Lucia’s “premier entertainment strip”, and he says the transformation of the area over recent years has been dramatic.

    “Where you once saw dozens of active restaurants operating along the strip, many have closed their doors,” he explained. “Some former hospitality spaces have been converted into short-term accommodation, others have been demolished entirely, and many more sit vacant, waiting for new tenants or development.” Where the district once drew consistent heavy foot traffic from both tourists and local residents day and night, that flow of visitors has dwindled to a trickle, leaving empty streets and a growing sense of unease among those who still work and visit the area.

    A drive along the iconic strip — bordered by the Rodney Bay Police Station, the Rodney Bay Pavilion, and an overgrown empty lot where the demolished Mystique Hotel once stood — confirmed this lull. Foot traffic is so scarce that passersby are a rare sight, with only one or two people occasionally emerging from parked cars to enter the handful of operating restaurants, where only a small fraction of tables are occupied. “For Sale” signs hang on the gates of multiple shuttered properties, including the well-remembered former venue Ginger Lily.

    “The void we’re seeing now isn’t just about the lack of crowds,” the businessman noted. “Large vacant lots where hotels like Mystique and Starfish once stood are now overgrown with brush, and that creates real safety risks. Without constant foot traffic moving between hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs, quiet, underlit streets become far more dangerous for anyone walking through the area, especially visitors unfamiliar with the surroundings.” He told the St. Lucia Times he knows of at least three separate robberies involving his own guests in the district, with incidents occurring near the main road and one close to a short-term rental on Flamboyant Drive.

    The concerns extend beyond the main entertainment strip, he added. Along the district’s second, busier thoroughfare — home to Baywalk Mall, major chain outlets, commercial banks and multiple small food and beverage venues — only one establishment, local favorite Keebees, saw all tables occupied during the Friday night visit, as patrons gathered to watch a World Cup match.

    What has changed most, the businessman argued, is the district’s core character, which has been altered by the rise of unregulated informal vendors selling goods from car trunks and roadside stands. “You have men sitting in open spots selling cigarettes and rum informally, and there’s speculation that other illicit substances are also being sold here,” he said. “This doesn’t just look unprofessional — it creates an unsafe atmosphere, and it attracts people who are more likely to engage in unsavory activities. I’ve seen vendors make inappropriate comments to women in groups of passing families, and that’s not the experience any tourist comes to Saint Lucia for.”

    To reverse these declines, the businessman has called for two key changes: increased uniformed police presence across the district, and stricter regulation of informal vending to crack down on unlicensed activity.

    Official police data confirms that concerns over tourist safety in Rodney Bay are not unfounded. Most recently, on June 30, police reported a robbery targeting two tourists near a hotel entrance in the district. The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) has also confirmed that 2025 saw a measurable spike in robberies targeting visitors across the Rodney Bay area.

    Eldeen Henry, Superintendent in Charge of the RSLPF Northern Division, outlined the trend during a July 2 press conference: “We saw two clear peaks in incidents against tourists in 2025. The first was a sharp spike between January and March, and we saw another resurgence between October and December of last year.”

    Back in March 2025, RSLPF joined with local tourism and business stakeholders to clear overgrown brush across high-risk vacant lots in Rodney Bay, as a targeted crime prevention measure. “For a crime to occur, you need three elements: a suitable location, a potential victim, and a motivated offender. Clearing brush removes the cover offenders rely on, so this cuts down on opportunity,” then-Northern Superintendent Stephen Victorin explained to the St. Lucia Times at the time.

    This week, Henry reported that targeted interventions have driven down robbery reports since early 2025. “We implemented intelligence-led operations across the Gros Islet area, which includes Rodney Bay, and those efforts led to the arrest of multiple individuals, several of whom are now in remand or facing court proceedings,” he said. “This intervention has led to a significant drop in the number of these incidents.” In the June 30 hotel robbery case, Henry added, a multi-station police operation intercepted suspects traveling in a vehicle in Anse La Raye, and all stolen property was recovered. The suspects remain in custody as investigations continue.

    Responding to concerns around unregulated vending and potential illegal drug activity, Henry confirmed that police maintain consistent active patrols and surveillance across the Rodney Bay district, and credit the RSLPF Rangers Unit — which patrols area beaches — for helping drive a sharp drop in drug-related offenses across 2025.

    Even with increased policing driving down crime, however, questions remain about whether law enforcement action alone can restore the vibrant atmosphere that once made Rodney Bay a top tourist draw. The local businessman notes that the district’s physical landscape still requires major intervention: large vacant lots that once housed popular hotels are still overgrown and unused, serving as constant visual reminders of the area’s stagnation.

    Full revitalization through redevelopment is still on the horizon, however. Both the former Starfish Resort and Mystique by Royalton hotels were demolished years ago, and two new hospitality properties are planned for the sites. Tourism Minister Hilaire told the St. Lucia Times that developers are currently finalizing construction designs to submit to the Development Control Authority (DCA), with full construction expected to break ground before the end of 2026.

    Hilaire acknowledged that widespread public concern about Rodney Bay’s declining experience has prompted the government and private sector to prioritize the district’s revitalization. “We have received a lot of complaints from people saying that the visitor experience at Rodney Bay — our premier entertainment strip, home to most of the island’s top restaurants — just isn’t what it used to be,” he said. “We recognize that Rodney Bay deserves renewed focus. Developers have agreed to lead the redevelopment of the entire Rodney Bay Strip, and we have a clear master plan in place to elevate and revitalize the entire area for visitors and locals alike.”

  • COMMENTARY: Sexual Abuse and Artificial Intelligence

    COMMENTARY: Sexual Abuse and Artificial Intelligence

    Sexual harassment is a pervasive societal and workplace issue that defies outdated gendered assumptions. Contrary to long-held popular narratives that frame women as the only victims and men as the sole perpetrators, people of any gender can experience harassment or perpetrate harm, and abuse can occur between people of the same gender.

    In workplaces across Jamaica and much of the globe, unbalanced hierarchical power dynamics that prioritize employer perspectives over employee well-being create a toxic environment where many victims choose to suffer in silence. The very real threat of job loss, paired with the widespread absence of labor unions to advocate for workers, leaves victims doubly vulnerable. For male survivors in particular, the burden is uniquely heavy: coming forward often leads to intrusive questioning of their sexual identity, and deep-seated homophobic cultural norms across Jamaican society push many to endure abuse in isolation. Breaking this culture of silence requires action not just within individual workplaces, but across every layer of society, as the right to a safe working environment that protects both physical and mental health is a non-negotiable standard that must be enforced for all.

    The rise of artificial intelligence has amplified the global crisis of sexual abuse, opening new avenues for harm that disproportionately impact women and girls. Data from one global survey shows that 38% of women have personally experienced online violence, while 85% of women who use the internet have witnessed digital violence against other women. AI-facilitated violence against women encompasses all AI-generated and AI-spread digital abuse that causes harm across physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic domains, and infringes on women’s fundamental rights and freedoms.

    AI-powered tools have enabled the spread of harmful practices like catfishing, where bots simulate human conversation to interact with unsuspecting women and girls, luring them into sharing private personal information or agreeing to in-person meetings. Deepfake technology, which uses AI to create digitally altered images, audio, and video that appear to show people saying or doing things they never did, is also increasingly misused as a tool of abuse. While deepfakes can have legitimate creative and entertainment uses, they are regularly weaponized to create non-consensual sexual content, spread disinformation, and destroy survivors’ reputations.

    Across the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), progress on formal sexual harassment legislation began decades ago, with the framers of the 1973 Treaty of Chaguaramas explicitly identifying “The Position of Women in Caribbean Society” as a core area of regional cooperation. By 1997, several English-speaking CARICOM nations had already enacted targeted anti-harassment laws: Belize passed its landmark Sexual Harassment Act in 1996, followed by Guyana, which added protections against sexual harassment under its 1997 Prevention of Discrimination Act. In subsequent years, Barbados implemented the Employment Sexual Harassment (Prevention) Act in 2017, and Trinidad and Tobago updated its framework via the Equal Opportunity Act alongside a national workplace policy adopted in 2019.

    In Jamaica, the modern legal framework for addressing sexual harassment took shape with the passage of the Sexual Harassment (Protection and Prevention) Act in 2021, which officially entered into force on July 3, 2023. The legislation extends legal protection against unwelcome sexual conduct across multiple settings, including workplaces, educational institutions, and landlord-tenant relationships, and grants survivors multiple pathways to seek redress: through internal workplace complaint processes or via a dedicated, independent Sexual Harassment Tribunal (SHT). The law formally defines sexual harassment as any unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or sexually offensive conduct that causes humiliation or creates a hostile environment. It mandates all employers to develop, publish, and enforce a written anti-harassment policy and establish formal internal complaint mechanisms. Offenders convicted by the SHT face penalties including fines up to 1 million Jamaican dollars, imprisonment, or both, depending on the severity of the violation.

    Despite this legislative progress, compliance monitoring remains a major unaddressed challenge in Jamaica. While larger corporations with dedicated human resources and legal departments are far more likely to meet the policy requirement, small businesses with only two to five employees often lack the resources and guidance to implement the required protections, leaving workers in these settings vulnerable. For survivors seeking recourse, the law outlines clear pathways: if harassment occurs in the workplace, victims can first raise the issue with their human resources manager, and if the issue is not resolved internally, they can file a report with local police or a field officer from the Bureau of Gender Affairs, or bring a claim directly to the SHT once it is convened. For harassment occurring outside the workplace, victims can report to police for guidance on next steps, including filing a claim with the tribunal. Free mental health support is also available through the Victim Services Unit at the Ministry of Justice, which offers both in-person and online counseling for all crime victims, including survivors of sexual harassment.

    To better understand and identify abuse, it is critical to acknowledge that sexual harassment takes many forms beyond physical violence. Verbal harassment includes unwelcome comments about a person’s appearance, body, or personal life, sexually explicit jokes, and gender-based insults — harm that perpetrators often dismiss as “compliments” that do not justify concern. Intimidation or bullying, even when non-sexual on its face, also qualifies as sexual harassment when used to coerce silence about abuse or punish survivors who come forward. Voyeurism, or the secret watching, recording, or photographing of a person in a space where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy (including homes, public restrooms, and changing rooms), is another common form of harm. Non-verbal harassment also includes sexually suggestive gestures, from winking and sexually explicit body language to suggestive hand or facial movements.

    Jamaica’s 2021 Sexual Harassment Act is rooted in three core guiding principles aligned with international human rights standards. The first is a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA), a framework rooted in international human rights norms that centers on addressing systemic inequality, discriminatory practices, and unequal power distributions that leave marginalized groups behind. This approach aligns with Jamaica’s obligations under two key international instruments: the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

    The second foundational principle is gender equality, which is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms that all people are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and that all people are entitled to equal protection of their rights without distinction based on gender or other status. Gender equality is not a standalone goal; it is a core requirement for achieving all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

    The third core principle is the right to decent work, as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The ILO frames decent work as productive employment that pays a fair wage, provides workplace safety and social protection for families, and guarantees workers the freedom to organize and voice their concerns. Workplace safety inherently includes freedom from sexual harassment.

    While the 2021 Act marks a major step forward, it is not without open questions and gaps that need to be addressed. Critics have noted the two-year gap between the law’s parliamentary passage in 2021 and its 2023 implementation, a delay that is particularly concerning given the pervasiveness of rape culture in Jamaican society that demands urgent action. There are also ongoing concerns about the potential for overly lengthy investigation and hearing processes, and the need for clearer guidance on high-stakes procedural questions, such as whether an accused employee should remain in their role during an active investigation.

    Under current requirements, companies must appoint an Authorized Officer to receive and process internal workplace complaints, as well as an internal Anti-Sexual Harassment Dispute Settlement Committee. The Authorized Officer is required to assess each claim per internal procedures: if a matter is resolved via agreement, the outcome is recorded in company records; if not resolved, or if the officer deems it necessary, the claim is referred to the SHT. Jamaica’s international obligations under global protocols and conventions already recognize sexual harassment as a form of violence, a violation of human rights, and a barrier to equitable development. The ILO has formally categorized workplace sexual harassment as a violation of fundamental worker rights, a workplace health and safety hazard, a form of gender discrimination, an unacceptable working condition, and a form of violence that disproportionately harms female workers. ILO Convention No. 111 on Discrimination in Employment and Occupation explicitly links the elimination of sexual harassment to both worker well-being and overall workplace productivity.

    Looking ahead, the growing intersection of artificial intelligence and sexual abuse represents not just a technical policy challenge, but a broader moral crisis that demands coordinated, cross-sector action. Addressing this harm requires collaboration between national governments, technology platforms, law enforcement agencies, and the international community, including binding cross-border treaties and coordinated enforcement to hold perpetrators accountable across jurisdictions. What is clear above all is that there is an urgent need for widespread, robust public education campaigns to shift cultural norms around sexual abuse and sexual harassment, and to empower survivors to come forward and seek justice.

    This analysis was written by Wayne Campbell, an educator and social commentator focused on the intersection of development policy, culture, and gender issues.

  • Suriname kiest voor overleg na Guyanese kritiek op financiering Corantijnbrug

    Suriname kiest voor overleg na Guyanese kritiek op financiering Corantijnbrug

    Recent cross-border tensions between Suriname and Guyana over the planned Corantijn River bridge have prompted an official clarification from Suriname’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation (BIS), emphasizing that all financing matters for the strategic infrastructure project remain within ongoing bilateral negotiation frameworks. The statement from BIS comes amid growing public speculation that funding disagreements have sparked a new rift between the two neighboring South American nations, following divergent public remarks from Guyanese officials over how the project will be paid for.

    Contrary to narratives framing financing as a fresh point of contention, BIS underlines that discussions around the bridge’s funding stretch back months and have been elevated directly to the heads of state of both countries on multiple occasions. The issue has appeared on the agenda for three high-level summits between Surinamese and Guyanese presidents: an in-person meeting in Suriname’s Nickerie district on September 13, 2025, a side discussion during the CARICOM Heads of Government Conference held in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and a virtual working session held on May 15, 2026.

    Across these talks, Suriname has repeatedly stated its willingness to take on full financing responsibility for the bridge. At the same time, Suriname’s negotiators have stressed that the large scale and long-term strategic importance of the project demand that all potential funding pathways be thoroughly evaluated to reach a solution that is both fiscally sustainable and operationally responsible.

    The most recent round of high-level talks also produced a concrete next step: technical working groups from both nations have been tasked with deep diving into the project’s financial requirements, engineering specifications, long-term operational protocols, and future management and revenue models for the bridge once construction is complete.

    For both Suriname and Guyana, the fixed crossing over the Corantijn River, which forms the border between the two countries, is viewed as a transformative infrastructure project. BIS notes that the bridge is expected to unlock major gains for bilateral trade, cross-border investment, regional logistics, people-to-people mobility, and tourism for both nations. In line with this shared long-term benefit, the Suriname government reaffirmed its commitment to continuing an open, constructive, and outcome-focused dialogue with Guyana not only on the bridge project but on all other issues of mutual national interest.

  • TBPS announces senior command appointments

    TBPS announces senior command appointments

    At a critical juncture for its ongoing transformation and public safety outreach, The Barbados Police Service (TBPS) has unveiled a series of high-level leadership appointments set to take effect on July 3. Two veteran officers, Barry Hunte and Adrian Broomes, will step into the roles of Deputy Commissioner of Police, while Stephen Herbert, David Welch, and John Boyce have been named new Assistant Commissioners of Police, rounding out an expanded senior command team designed to advance the force’s core strategic goals.

    The reshuffle comes as TBPS works to advance key operational priorities, boost public trust in its work, and expand professional growth opportunities for officers across all ranks. Each appointee brings decades of specialized experience and a track record of leadership that aligns with the force’s long-term vision for a modern, community-focused policing service.

    New Deputy Commissioner Barry Hunte has built a decades-long career in senior TBPS leadership, most recently overseeing special operations and management services after serving as head of the force’s Special Branch. Hunte has earned widespread recognition for his focus on strengthening leadership standards, driving performance improvements, leading organizational change, and executing TBPS’s national policing plan effectively. He is also a graduate of the prestigious 19-week College of Policing Executive Leaders Programme based in Coventry, United Kingdom, a rigorous training initiative built to prepare senior officers for top executive leadership roles.

    Fellow Deputy Commissioner Adrian Broomes brings extensive expertise in disaster response and inter-agency coordination, a critical skill set for addressing emerging public safety challenges. He has prioritized continuous executive leadership development throughout his career and is currently completing the same College of Policing Executive Leaders Programme that Hunte graduated from in Coventry.

    Of the three new Assistant Commissioners, Stephen Herbert brings deep experience in human resources and administration to his new executive role. His work centers on strategic workforce development, targeted training programming, and collaboration between TBPS and other government agencies. Herbert has also led large-scale recruitment drives for the force, and currently oversees the onboarding, swearing-in, and mentorship of new police trainees.

    Assistant Commissioner David Welch, a long-serving senior TBPS officer, will take charge of change management and technology services in his new post. His appointment directly supports TBPS’s ongoing push for organizational modernization, technological innovation, and improved operational effectiveness across all departments.

    Rounding out the new appointments is Assistant Commissioner John Boyce, a veteran of TBPS’s senior command structure who previously oversaw the force’s crime portfolio. His decades of frontline and leadership experience will strengthen TBPS’s investigative capacity and advance its work to improve public safety outcomes for all Barbadians.

    TBPS Commissioner Sonia Boyce offered warm congratulations to all five appointees in an official statement following the announcement. “I extend heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Hunte, Mr. Broomes, Mr. Herbert, Mr. Welch and Mr. Boyce on their appointments to the senior command team of The Barbados Police Service,” she said. “Each of these officers has demonstrated commitment, professionalism and dedication to duty over many years of service. Their collective experience, leadership and institutional knowledge will be invaluable as we continue to build a modern, responsive and trusted police service for the people of Barbados.”

    Commissioner Boyce added that the appointments signal the organization’s full confidence in the new leadership team to steer TBPS through its next phase of growth and development. She emphasized that the expanded senior command will remain focused on upholding accountability to the public, deepening community engagement, maintaining consistent operational readiness, and delivering excellent service to all Barbadians.

  • Man warned after paying $26 000 in firearm fines

    Man warned after paying $26 000 in firearm fines

    A resident of Haynesville, St James, has avoided a custodial sentence after completing full payment of more than $26,000 in combined fines for illegal firearm and ammunition possession, but has received a clear final warning from a senior High Court justice about the consequences of any future weapons-related conviction.

    Ramon Michael Thomas, a first-time offender, was originally handed the financial penalties last year for a 2022 weapons violation. According to court documents, on August 13, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Thomas’s home. During a sweep of the property’s kitchen, investigators uncovered a .22-calibre revolver hidden inside an empty protein powder can placed on top of the refrigerator. The weapon was already loaded with seven rounds of ammunition, and an additional five unused bullets were discovered wrapped in paper a short distance from the can.

    As a first-time offender, Thomas was not immediately sentenced to prison. The court ordered him to pay a $20,000 fine for unlicensed possession of the revolver, with a default sentence of 527 days behind bars if the fine went unpaid. For the separate charge of illegal ammunition possession, he received an additional $6,000 fine, with a six-month prison term as the alternative for non-payment, bringing the total of his court-imposed financial penalties to $26,000.

    When the No. 5 Supreme Court recently confirmed that Thomas had paid the full amount of his fines, High Court Justice Pamela Beckles issued a stark public warning to the offender ahead of his release. “Don’t come back. I am letting you know that if you do on a firearm charge and are convicted, it is mandatory you are going to prison,” Beckles stated directly to Thomas.

    Acting Senior State Counsel Maya Kellman represented the prosecution in the case, which was first reported by local Caribbean court correspondent Jovan Beaubrun.