Carib Scope

标签： Dominica

多米尼克

  • Gregor Nassief–Roosevelt Skerrit dispute escalates over CBI concerns, government responses and economic policy

    Gregor Nassief–Roosevelt Skerrit dispute escalates over CBI concerns, government responses and economic policy

    A high-profile public conflict has broken out between prominent Dominican businessman Gregor Nassief and Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, centered on long-simmering concerns about Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme and broader government policy, with the two sides clashing directly over whether the businessman’s complaints have ever received a meaningful response.

    Nassief, who first raised alarms about the program privately for years before going public with his claims, argues that he has spent roughly seven years sending 14 separate letters to the prime minister outlining what he frames as serious irregularities in CBI operations. The dispute burst into wider public view after a June 17, 2026, letter from Nassief was leaked and circulated widely across the country. In that correspondence, Nassief alleged that CBI citizenship is being sold at discounted rates below the legal minimum thresholds set by Dominican law. He claims this practice is not only robbing the national treasury of hundreds of millions in expected revenue, but also creates an unfair, unlevel playing field for legitimate developers that have been approved to participate in the CBI programme.

    Beyond allegations of improper discounting, Nassief has called for sweeping, independent oversight of the program: he is pushing for a full independent forensic audit of CBI operations, and has suggested that a formal Commission of Inquiry may be required to fully resolve the issues he has raised. He has also tied his concerns to Dominica’s standing on the global stage, pointing to the country’s recent loss of visa-free access to the United Kingdom as a direct consequence of weak CBI governance, and warning of further risks to its travel and immigration relationships with the European Union and United States.

    Nassief’s criticism extends far beyond the citizenship investment program, covering a wide range of government policies that affect the Dominican economy and public life. He has raised public questions about the government’s overall economic management, state concessions and financial support for the island’s critical hotel sector, the national minimum wage, and the Alien Landholding Tax. Most recently, he has turned his attention to electoral rules, sending a new round of correspondence to Skerrit demanding reform.

    In an open letter published on August 31, Nassief doubled down on his claims that the prime minister has refused to engage meaningfully with his concerns, writing, “Fourteen letters over seven years on CBI. Eight more letters over the past six months raising electoral concerns. And still, the fundamental questions remain unanswered.” He challenged Skerrit to publicly identify which questions he has responded to, putting the onus on the prime minister to prove he has taken the allegations seriously.

    However, during a recent press conference held at the Financial Centre conference room, Prime Minister Skerrit pushed back forcefully against Nassief’s narrative that he has ignored the businessman’s complaints. Skerrit confirmed that his administration has engaged with Nassief through multiple channels: written correspondence, private WhatsApp exchanges, and in-person face-to-face meetings, though he acknowledged that the government did not respond to every single letter, nor did it engage in the way Nassief demanded. Most notably, Skerrit revealed that all of the allegations and supporting evidence Nassief submitted regarding CBI irregularities were formally forwarded to Dominica’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) for official investigation.

    Skerrit also addressed the other policy concerns Nassief has raised, noting that the government held extensive discussions about hotel sector support and the businessman’s request to roll back the Alien Landholding Tax. The prime minister confirmed that after careful review, the government determined that eliminating or reducing the tax would not be fiscally prudent at this time, and declined to make the change Nassief requested.

    At the core of the unresolved standoff is one critical question that neither side has answered publicly: what exactly came of the FIU investigation into Nassief’s CBI allegations, and what conclusions, if any, did investigators reach? Nassief insists that despite years of warnings, no meaningful action has ever been taken to address the flawed practices he has exposed. For his part, Skerrit has pushed back on claims of inaction, arguing that the allegations were not swept under the rug, but instead followed proper protocol by being sent to the appropriate investigative body.

    The disagreement has now evolved far beyond a he-said-she-said over whether correspondence was exchanged. It now centers on the substantive question of whether appropriate follow-up action was taken: were the allegations thoroughly investigated, and were any findings or policy recommendations produced as a result? What began as years of private, behind-the-scenes warnings from a prominent local businessman has now become a full-blown national conversation, with broad implications for CBI governance, government transparency and accountability, national revenue security, and the long-term economic sustainability of Dominica’s development model.

  • DCOA President urges families to honour grandparents on Grandparents Day

    DCOA President urges families to honour grandparents on Grandparents Day

    As the Caribbean nation of Dominica prepares to observe Grandparents Day on Sunday, September 13, 2026, the top leader of the country’s leading ageing advocacy body is urging families and local communities across the island to turn the annual observance into a meaningful moment that honors the irreplaceable contribution of grandparents to daily life.

    Nigel Lawrence, President of the Dominica Council on Ageing, delivered a public address centered on the value of grandparents in modern society, framing these older family members as far more than just senior relatives. In his remarks, Lawrence emphasized that grandparents serve as the unshakable foundational pillar of most families, offering consistent intergenerational gifts of unconditional love, hard-won wisdom accumulated through decades of life experience, and quiet resilience that sustains communities through times of uncertainty and change.

    Lawrence pushed back against the idea that Grandparents Day should remain merely a symbolic date marked on annual calendars. Instead, he argued, the occasion should create a dedicated space for people of all ages to pause and reflect on the countless contributions and quiet sacrifices that grandparents have made to lift up their children, grandchildren, and broader community networks.

    To turn that reflection into action, the council president issued a clear call to the public: for people who still have living grandparents, take intentional time this Grandparents Day to connect in a meaningful way—whether that means an in-person visit, a warm phone call to check in, or a heartfelt embrace to express gratitude. For those whose grandparents have passed away, Lawrence encouraged honoring their legacy by upholding and living out the core values and lessons that their grandparents passed down to them through generations.

    A full audio recording of Lawrence’s full address, ahead of the September 13 observance, has been published online by local Dominican news outlets for the public to listen to in full.

  • CARICOM Secretary-General calls for stronger focus on youth wellness

    CARICOM Secretary-General calls for stronger focus on youth wellness

    On the occasion of Caribbean Wellness Day 2026, marked September 12 under the unifying theme “Our Mind. Our Body. Our Wellness. Empowering Caribbean Youth,” CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett has issued a urgent, clear call to prioritize the holistic health and well-being of the Caribbean region’s young population, emphasizing that their current decisions and behaviors will define the trajectory of the entire bloc’s future.

    Dr. Barnett opened her official message by reframing the common understanding of wellness, explaining it extends far beyond the mere absence of disease. True wellness, she argued, requires consistent, intentional investment across three interconnected domains: mental, physical, and social well-being. It also demands collective responsibility to build the systemic conditions that let all community members flourish, rather than placing the full burden on individual choices.

    The push for youth-centered wellness action comes amid a growing public health crisis tied to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which continue to place an unsustainable heavy burden on Caribbean health systems and communities. Official 2024 regional data cited by Dr. Barnett shows NCDs account for roughly 75% of all deaths across the Caribbean. While these chronic conditions are often framed as health issues that only affect older adults, Dr. Barnett warned that their root risk factors emerge early in life, and rates of NCD risk indicators are rising sharply among the region’s youth.

    Recent regional public health analysis referenced by the Secretary-General paints a sobering picture of youth health across the bloc: more than half of all young adults are either overweight or living with elevated blood pressure, 40% report consuming harmful amounts of alcohol, and nearly 60% do not meet minimum physical activity guidelines. Dr. Barnett stressed that the drivers of these troubling trends are far more complex than poor individual decision-making. A range of structural factors shape youth health outcomes, including environmental conditions, social norms, cultural contexts, and economic inequality.

    She outlined key systemic barriers that make healthy lifestyles out of reach for many young Caribbean people: rapid unplanned urbanization, widespread poverty, persistent youth unemployment, shrinking access to affordable nutritious food, and a chronic lack of health-supporting public infrastructure. Young people growing up in marginalized, vulnerable communities face the steepest barriers, often lacking access to safe recreational spaces for physical activity, affordable healthy food options, and accessible mental health support services.

    With young adults making up roughly one-quarter of the Caribbean’s total population, Dr. Barnett emphasized that this demographic is too often overlooked in regional NCD screening, prevention, and research efforts—a gap that must be closed immediately to protect the region’s long-term health. Empowering young people to prioritize wellness, she argued, cannot be reduced to campaigns that only push individual behavior change. Meaningful progress requires a coordinated whole-of-society approach that centers youth input and addresses root structural causes.

    Already, CARICOM is working alongside two key regional and global health partners—the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)—to strengthen cross-sector strategies for NCD surveillance, prevention, and control. A core focus of these ongoing efforts is expanding youth-friendly health policies and services, and integrating young people as equal partners in every stage of public health action, from designing initiatives to implementing and evaluating them.

    “The voice of CARICOM youth matters. The choices made and actions taken by young people today will impact the future of our Region. Young people must be encouraged to continue to speak up for healthy food choices and safe spaces for physical activity,” Dr. Barnett said in closing her message. She added that when young people are empowered and actively engaged in public health decision-making, they are a powerful force for building a healthier, more resilient Caribbean for all generations. She ended by urging every resident across the region to use Caribbean Wellness Day 2026 as a starting point to embed sustainable healthy habits into their daily lives.

  • UK rejects slavery reparations as Jamaica presses case with King Charles III

    UK rejects slavery reparations as Jamaica presses case with King Charles III

    Decades-long global calls for reparations for the transatlantic slave trade have entered a new phase this September, as Jamaica has launched a formal legal push to hold the United Kingdom accountable for its historic role in the system of chattel slavery — even as British officials maintain their unyielding rejection of any financial compensation claims.

    According to international media reports, a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham confirmed that the British government’s decades-old policy remains unchanged: ‘the UK does not and will not pay reparations’ to former colonial territories impacted by the transatlantic slave trade.

    The UK’s formal restatement of its position came just five days after Jamaica’s Culture Minister Olivia Grange submitted an unprecedented slavery-related petition to King Charles III on September 7, 2026. The request asks the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the UK-based supreme judicial body that historically handles appeals from Commonwealth nations, to review three core questions related to the legality of Britain’s slave trading practice and the UK’s potential responsibility for providing redress for its harms.

    Contrary to some early media coverage that framed the petition as a direct demand for a set monetary sum, Grange has publicly clarified that the filing does not include a specified financial figure at this preliminary stage. Speaking with the Jamaica Observer, Grange explained that the petition was submitted through official, established channels after the Jamaican government received formal procedural guidance from Buckingham Palace. She also confirmed that a request for a courtesy meeting with King Charles was turned down, due to the monarch being in residence at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

    The King’s absence drew sharp criticism from anti-monarchy activists. Graham Smith, chief executive officer of the UK-based campaign group Republic, told Al Jazeera: ‘Once again Charles ducks for cover when the issue of slavery and empire is raised.’

    Jamaican officials argue that addressing the intergenerational harms of slavery demands far more than symbolic acknowledgment of historical suffering. The latest legal move aligns with a growing global momentum for reparatory justice that gained significant traction earlier this year, when the 80th United Nations General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution on March 25, 2026. The resolution formally classifies the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans as ‘the gravest crime against humanity’ in history.

    Championed by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, who leads the African Union’s work on reparatory justice, the resolution passed with overwhelming global support: 123 nations voted in favor, only three voted against, and 52 countries chose to abstain. Notably, the United Kingdom was among the abstentions, while all member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) voted in support of the text.

    While the UK has consistently rejected calls for reparations, British officials have stated that they acknowledge the profound brutality of slavery and its lasting impact on global history. Jamaica’s latest legal action marks one of the most formal, institutional pushes for accountability from a former colonial territory to date, opening a new chapter in the global debate over historical responsibility for the transatlantic slave trade.

  • Remembering Dominican victims of 9/11

    Remembering Dominican victims of 9/11

    On the 25th anniversary of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in modern history, communities across the United States and around the globe are pausing to reflect on the lives cut short on September 11, 2001. On that fateful Tuesday morning, four coordinated suicide attacks targeted key sites across New York City and Washington D.C., with two hijacked commercial planes crashing into the iconic Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. This attack remains the deadliest act of terrorism ever carried out on United States soil, leaving a permanent mark on global collective memory.

    Among the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives that day were two Dominican natives: 40-year-old Fitzroy St. Rose and 62-year-old Virgin Lucy Francis, whose legacies are being remembered by their home nation this anniversary.

    St. Rose, born in April 1961 in Canefield, Dominica, built a life rooted in service long before he moved to the Bronx, New York. A graduate of St. Mary’s Academy, he worked as a firefighter in his home country before migrating to the U.S., where he took up a role as a computer technician for General Telecom on the 96th floor of One World Trade Center. Close friends remember him as a kind-hearted man with a gentle smile and a steady, optimistic demeanor, noting he carried himself with particular pride when doing quiet acts of good for others. After the first plane collided with his tower, St. Rose managed to place several calls to his mother to let her know what was unfolding. When the towers collapsed, search teams combed through rubble and checked every hospital across New York in a frantic, desperate search for survivors, but no trace of St. Rose was ever found, and the grim reality of his death was soon confirmed.

    For Virgin Lucy Francis, 9/11 cut short a life of steady work and quiet dedication. Born in Dominica in March 1939, Francis lived briefly in Barbados before permanently moving to the United States in 1986. She worked as a housekeeper at Windows on the World, the iconic restaurant and event space located on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower. Described by her family as a woman who took enormous pride in her work, Francis almost always arrived earlier than her scheduled shift. On the morning of the attack, she was set to start at 9:00 AM, but caught the A train from Fulton Street and reached the building well before the first plane struck. More than two decades later, her family still grapples with the shock of her loss, unable to fully accept that she is gone.

    Today, the names of St. Rose, Francis, and all 2,983 victims of the 9/11 attacks are permanently inscribed into bronze parapets surrounding the two giant memorial pools that sit in the footprints where the Twin Towers once stood. Each year, on the anniversary of the attack, visitors run their fingers over the etched names, leaving flowers and mementos to honor the lives that were lost.

  • OECS symposium puts youth and women at the centre of agricultural transformation

    OECS symposium puts youth and women at the centre of agricultural transformation

    Against a backdrop of growing regional economic vulnerability from heavy reliance on costly foreign food imports, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission and the Government of Grenada have issued a urgent collective call to channel greater investment into youth and women within the agricultural sector, a move designed to strengthen local food sovereignty and cut the region’s massive dependence on imported goods.

    This call was formally launched during the second iteration of the Youth and Women in Agriculture Symposium, which convened from September 1 to 3, 2026, at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort located in St George’s, the capital of Grenada. Over 150 stakeholders from across OECS member states participated in the three-day gathering, including young farmers, female agricultural workers, and producers living with disabilities. Unlike previous policy-focused dialogues, this year’s event centered on translating discussions into tangible, actionable commitments for cross-regional agricultural development and streamlined intra-regional trade.

    Held under the thematic banner “Youth and Women Driving Agricultural Transformation: Sowing Resilience, Reaping Prosperity,” the symposium opened with a frank assessment of deep-rooted structural challenges weakening the Caribbean’s food systems. The urgency of the gathering was underscored by the region’s existing economic reality: Eastern Caribbean nations currently spend an estimated US$658 million on food imports every year, a drain on foreign currency that has left communities exposed to global market volatility and supply chain disruptions. Attendees uniformly emphasized that scaling up local agricultural output has become a non-negotiable priority for advancing both regional resilience and national sovereignty.

    In his keynote address to delegates, Lennox J. Andrews, Grenada’s Minister for Economic Development, Planning, Cooperatives, Agriculture, Lands and Forestry, the Blue Economy and Marine Affairs, pushed for a fundamental shift in how agriculture is perceived across the region. “Agriculture must no longer be viewed as an option of last resort for those who cannot find other work,” Andrews noted, pointing to a wave of emerging opportunities across the sector that have yet to be fully tapped. These include modern agribusiness models, climate-smart protected agriculture, precision farming technologies such as drones, artificial intelligence applications for crop management, and digital marketing strategies that allow smallholder producers to reach global niche markets. He also highlighted two ongoing national initiatives designed to break down barriers for young farmers: the Youth Enterprise in Agriculture pilot project, developed in partnership with the CARICOM Development Fund, and the national Land Bank Project, which leases publicly held agricultural land to young and new entrants to the sector.

    OECS Director General Dr. Didacus Jules echoed Andrews’ call to action, noting that recent global shocks have laid bare the urgent need for systemic change. Recurring global supply chain disruptions, spiking international shipping costs, and growing frequency of climate-driven extreme weather events — including the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Ivan and Beryl across the region — have made agricultural resilience a matter of national and regional security. Jules argued that incremental change will not be enough, calling for structural policy action on longstanding barriers including insecure land tenure, limited access to affordable credit, and fragmented regional markets. He emphasized that the region must move beyond token inclusion of youth and women in agricultural dialogues, and center these groups in decision-making and resourcing.

    The European Union, a key development partner for the region, reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to supporting the transformation of Eastern Caribbean agriculture. Chiara Tardivo, a representative of the EU delegation to the region, stated the bloc remains committed to advancing climate-resilient agricultural development and placing youth and women at the core of the sector’s transition. Delegates also acknowledged the EU’s critical financial support through the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) RIGHT programme, which has funded the majority of the OECS’s ongoing agricultural development initiatives.

    Grenada’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Forestry, Natalie Williams, highlighted a demographic reality that makes investment in youth and women unavoidable: the region’s current farming population is rapidly aging, and new entrants are needed to replace retiring producers and maintain productive output. “Women and young people are not just stakeholders to include — they are the only solution to securing the future of our agricultural sector,” Williams noted.

    The symposium concluded with agreement on four clear, actionable priorities that will guide regional action over the coming years. First, delegates committed to establishing a formal, permanent OECS Agriculture Forum for Youth and Women to sustain ongoing dialogue and advocacy. Second, participants agreed to develop a co-managed information portal between OECS and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) that will centralize access to information on available land markets, agricultural grant opportunities, and technical guidance for smallholders. Third, the gathering secured commitments from regional governments to make crown lands available to new producers through transparent, long-term lease arrangements that can be recognized as collateral by commercial lending institutions, addressing one of the most common barriers to credit for new farmers. Finally, delegates committed to redesigning agricultural training programs, financing products, and technology access schemes to ensure full inclusion of producers living with disabilities, who have historically been excluded from many agricultural development initiatives.

  • Skerrit says special branch monitoring of public meetings is nothing new

    Skerrit says special branch monitoring of public meetings is nothing new

    A political controversy has emerged in Dominica after prominent local businessman Gregor Nassief accused the government of deploying plainclothes intelligence officers to monitor a private civic meeting he hosted, prompting a firm defense from Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit that frames the incident as standard national security practice.

    Nassief’s allegation, made public in recent weeks, centers on a private gathering held August 26 at Fort Young Hotel. According to the businessman, two officers from Dominica’s Special Branch intelligence unit arrived at the venue and remained on the property for more than four hours. He has argued that their uninvited presence created an intimidating atmosphere for meeting attendees, framing the incident as an example of government overreach.

    Speaking at a press conference this week, Prime Minister Skerrit pushed back against these claims. He confirmed that he only learned of the officers’ presence after the allegations became public, and explicitly denied ever issuing orders for law enforcement to attend or monitor the meeting. However, Skerrit stopped short of condemning the officers’ actions, instead defending the general practice of deploying Special Branch personnel near publicly announced gatherings as a core component of routine national security work.

    Skerrit emphasized that the officers in question never entered the meeting space nor disrupted its proceedings. To contextualize the practice of intelligence gathering at public events, the prime minister recalled that even when his Dominica Labour Party (DLP) was in opposition prior to taking office, Special Branch officers routinely monitored political gatherings he attended — a longstanding institutional practice, he argued, not a new political tactic.

    The prime minister rejected claims that the incident constitutes evidence of systemic political oppression. He pushed back against critics who have framed the monitoring as a deliberate attempt to stifle dissent, noting that Dominica remains a robustly free society where citizens openly and regularly criticize both him and his government without fear of retribution.

    Skerrit closed by reaffirming the necessity of intelligence gathering for national security. He maintained that state security agencies must retain the authority to collect information on potential threats to public safety and share relevant intelligence with police leadership to prevent unrest or harm.

  • Dominica to appoint envoy for UK and EU visa talks

    Dominica to appoint envoy for UK and EU visa talks

    Against a backdrop of mounting diplomatic tensions over visa rules and controversial citizenship schemes, the Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, has revealed plans to name a dedicated special envoy to streamline the island nation’s diplomatic interactions with the United Kingdom and the European Union.

    This diplomatic push comes in direct response to two major recent developments that have put Dominica’s cross-border travel privileges at risk. First, the United Kingdom unilaterally introduced new visa requirements for Dominican citizens, prompting ongoing negotiations between the two governments to reverse the policy and restore visa-free access. Second, the European Union has raised formal security and due diligence red flags over Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme, which allows foreign investors to gain citizenship in exchange for significant economic investment. Alongside four other Caribbean nations, Dominica has been given a deadline of June 1, 2028, to shut down the CBI initiative, or face potential revocation of its visa-free travel status across the entire Schengen Area.

    According to Skerrit, the newly appointed envoy will take full ownership of leading and coordinating Dominica’s diplomatic advocacy with both British and EU institutional officials. In remarks confirming the plan, the Prime Minister noted that constructive discussions with the UK government are still ongoing, and the formal announcement of the envoy’s appointment is expected to come in the next few weeks. Skerrit has not yet released any details about the candidate being considered for this key diplomatic posting, as negotiations and internal preparations remain ongoing.

    For Dominica, retaining visa-free access to both the UK and Schengen Area is a critical national priority, supporting the island’s tourism sector, cross-border business activity, and mobility for its citizens. The CBI programme has also been a major source of foreign revenue for the small Caribbean economy, making the EU’s demand an economically sensitive issue for the government. The special envoy’s role will be to balance addressing European security concerns while protecting the nation’s core economic and travel interests through targeted diplomatic negotiation.

  • Government to hand over 16 new homes in Woodford Hill

    Government to hand over 16 new homes in Woodford Hill

    As the Dominican administration advances its flagship national affordable housing initiative, 16 households across Woodford Hill are just days away from receiving keys to brand-new, three-bedroom residential units, marking the latest milestone in the country’s effort to expand access to safe, secure housing for all citizens.

    Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit confirmed the upcoming September 11 handover during a Wednesday press briefing, noting that this latest distribution follows closely on the heels of a recent transfer that put 11 completed housing units into the hands of eligible families in the Canefield East area. The Canefield East development is one segment of a much larger planned rollout that will see 204 total homes and apartments distributed to qualifying residents across nine separate communities across the country.

    Skerrit outlined that the government’s national housing framework is rooted in a core guiding principle: every Dominican, regardless of their income level or personal background, deserves the chance to reside in a home that keeps them safe and secure. To advance this goal, program administrators have prioritized vulnerable groups for housing access, including at-risk families, single-parent households, elderly residents, people displaced by natural disasters, and individuals who lack the means to secure adequate housing on their own.

    The Prime Minister openly acknowledged that unmet demand for housing support remains high across the country, with thousands of eligible applicants still waiting for assistance through the programme. “As resources become available, we will continue to respond in a fair and systematic manner, ensuring that assistance reaches those with the greatest need,” Skerrit stated.

    In addition to the construction of new units, the national initiative also includes ongoing work on housing repair programs and other forms of residential assistance for low- and middle-income Dominican households. Skerrit emphasized that the administration will not scale back the programme despite facing public criticism, pointing to the proven social and economic benefits of stable housing, which he said strengthens family units, reduces vulnerability, and raises overall quality of life for communities across the nation.

  • LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Abortion saw, the High Court, and Society

    LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Abortion saw, the High Court, and Society

    The Caribbean region faces a stark, decades-long paradox when it comes to abortion policy: it boasts the highest abortion rate globally, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute, yet has some of the world’s most strict, criminalized abortion laws on the books. For local reproductive justice advocates, this disconnect offers clear evidence that punitive, outright bans on abortion have been an unmitigated failure. Criminalization has never stopped abortions from occurring, meaning it has failed to uphold the very commitment to the sanctity of life that conservative opponents of reform often cite.

    Despite this documented failure, conservative religious leaders across the region continue to defend the status quo, arguing that legalizing abortion would send an unacceptable moral message to the public. But advocates with ASPIRE, a pro-choice Caribbean reproductive health NGO registered in Dominica and five other neighboring nations, push back on this reasoning: opponents prioritize ideological dogma over actual protection of life, given that research and real-world experience from countries including Barbados and Guyana confirm that liberalizing abortion laws correlates with a reduction in total abortion rates.

    Recently, ASPIRE won a landmark constitutional challenge to Dominica’s existing abortion ban, securing a favorable ruling from the nation’s High Court. Justice Zainab Jawara-Alami, who presided over the case, took a measured, incremental approach to reform rather than scrapping the country’s restrictive abortion laws entirely. Where ASPIRE had asked the court to strike down the existing laws as fully unconstitutional, clearing the way for the Dominican government to draft new, permissive legislation, the justice opted for a narrower ruling.

    Instead of declaring sections 56 and 57 of Dominica’s abortion law outright unconstitutional, Justice Jawara-Alami ruled that the provisions cannot remain in force in their current form, and ordered the Dominican government to amend the laws to resolve their constitutional inconsistency. The ruling specifically identifies four circumstances where continuing a pregnancy violates a pregnant person’s constitutional rights: cases of rape, incest, severe fetal anomaly, and situations where the pregnant person’s physical or mental health is at risk.

    ASPIRE acknowledges that Justice Jawara-Alami’s ruling is legally sound: it is well-supported by existing legal precedent, aligned with the long legal tradition of incremental judicial reform, and stays firmly within the bounds of the court’s constitutional authority. Advocates applaud the step forward for reproductive rights that the ruling represents.

    Even so, the organization argues that the narrow scope of the decision fails to address the grim on-the-ground reality of unsafe abortion in Dominica, disconnecting sound legal reasoning from the harsh experiences of pregnant people across the country. ASPIRE’s own data collected for the case shows that at least 83 percent of the reasons that compel Dominican women to seek abortions are not covered by the new ruling, and will remain criminalized under current law.

    Breakdown of the data shows that 40 percent of abortions are sought for timing-related reasons, such as having recently given birth, needing to complete an education, or other personal timing concerns. Another 24 percent are driven by socioeconomic instability: patients simply do not have the financial or social resources to support a child at the time of pregnancy. An additional 20 percent of abortions are sought due to patient age, whether the patient is too young or too old to safely carry a pregnancy to term. None of these cases will be decriminalized under the High Court’s ruling.

    Worsening the contradiction, ASPIRE notes, is the fact that the court has tasked the Dominican government — which opposed the constitutional challenge and has repeatedly refused to engage in open dialogue about abortion reform — with updating the legislation to align with the ruling. Advocates question what meaningful progress can be expected from a government that has already made its opposition to abortion liberalization clear.

    ASPIRE is a non-governmental advocacy group focused on advancing fair and just reproductive health policy across the Caribbean. The organization frames itself as pro-motherhood and pro-family while supporting expanded access to safe, legal abortion, and works to conduct research and facilitate dialogue between civil society and governments across the region.