Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry for Energy and Transport, Mr. Kingsley Smith says the culture of secrecy in the Bahamas, when it comes to domestic violence, must be eradicated, if the issue of domestic violence is to be properly addressed.
Opening a three-day workshop on domestic violence, organized by the Urban Renewal Authority, at the Police Training College on Monday, March 2, 2026, Mr. Smith noted that Bahamians are a “hush-hush” people, who are more concerned with protecting the family name, even while family members are being hurt. And agencies that deal with domestic violence are expected to honor that code of silence.
“I’m here to tell you that the family name is not worth more than a human life,” said Mr. Smith. “We need to stop treating these cases as private tragedies and start treating them as the public press that they are. I’m calling on you to be the interruption. When the system is slow, you be the speed. When the law is quiet, you be the voice. As a community, we must intervene before the law is forced to pick up the pieces of a broken life.
“These workshops are being held because awareness is a luxury that we can no longer afford if it does not lead to a total overhaul of how we deal with the violence in the homes of our people . In Grand Bahama, we know the truth. We know that a domestic violence report is not just a file on a desk. It is a life thread. It is a domestic violence unit that is fully armed with the resources it needs. It is the protection against violent acts being used as a sword and not as a shield.”
Mr. Smith thanked workers and representatives of the various agencies that assist those who have been victims of domestic violence, who attended the three-day seminar, for the dedication and commitment to protecting those who may not be able to immediately protect themselves. He thanked them for being the ones to answer the desperate calls for help at 2am in the morning; for being the intermediaries who are willing to step into the heat of a crisis and the rescuers, who pull families from the wreckage of domestic violence.
“For every life you have quietly saved, and for every tear you have wiped away, I say thank you,” Mr. Smith added.
“To the agencies represented here, lead with a conviction that refuses to sleep. You are the ones building the fortress of support that must be stronger than any person’s grip and louder than any threat. Let us trade our posters for policy and our awareness for an iron clad promise. In west Grand Bahama and Bimini, in Grand Bahama at large, no one should have to walk the path to safety alone, because the agencies that are meant to protect them were too busy looking the other way. Continue the good work you’ve been doing.”
The Domestic Violence workshops were held under the theme “from awareness to action: creating safe homes and stronger communities.” Opening the workshop was Dr. Sandra Dean Patterson, Founder of the Crisis Center of the Bahamas and a longtime advocate for the voice of the victims of domestic violence.
The first two days of the workshop were held at the Police Training College, with the final session on March 4th at the Community at Heart Tabernacle Church of God of Prophecy in Freeport.
