Officials at the Bahamas Crisis Center are commenting on the recent announcement made by Attorney General, Sen. Hon. Ryan Pinder about the shelving of marital rape legislation.

Bahamas Crisis Centre Administrator, Cleopatra Christie spoke about the commitment of the late Hon. Obie Wilchcombe’s commitment to enacting legislation on marital rape. She said, “there was many meetings with the church. There were meeting with groups throughout the community, the University of The Bahamas and I really was under the impression that we were on a great path to having this legislation passed.”

Christie also expressed her disappointment saying, “so I am disappointed with the statement made by the Attorney General but be that as it may the men seem to rule the world.”

The former Magistrate also give her take on the difference between marital sex and rape. “We’re talking about a relationship that has probably gone bad and now your partner wants to have his way even though the relationship is sour. We’re talking about that kind of sex where people force and threaten and make the other partner take part in the act of marital sex,” Christie said.

Bahamas Crisis Center Director, Sandra Dean Patterson also commented on the issue stressing that while The Bahamas remains behind other jurisdictions on this issue women are suffering in silence. “They’re embarrassed. They don’t want anybody to know their husband is forcing them. They don’t want anybody to know their husband gave them an STI (sexually transmitted infection), they don’t, so they don’t tell, so they suffer in silence. And they are the silent victims of this thing that we are not willing to address.”