A Bahamian senior Cabinet minister is advocating that persons who commit rape should be castrated or even executed.
“I wish to register my anger against persons who commit such violent, reprehensible, detestable acts. In fact, I am rather draconian in my mindset on this. I’m from the old school, the old, old, old school,” said Environment and Natural Resources Minister Vaughn Miller.
“If you find them guilty, without a shadow of doubt, you castrate or execute them and prepare ‘em tell ‘em bid farewell to this side and say hello to whatever is on the other side. That’s my draconian opinion,” he added.
Miller was responding to police concern about sexual assaults in the Bacardi Road area in his Golden Isles constituency, with the latest incident occurring last weekend when a woman was reportedly abducted, robbed and sexually assaulted during the morning.
Police said they have since arrested the suspect and Miller is quoted in the Tribune newspaper saying “in this Bahamas we must not tolerate these acts by giving what most consider to be a slap on the wrist sentences.
“We must send a strong message to perpetrators that if found guilty, you will be dealt with in such a manner that you will never be able to repeat the offence. The people of Golden Isles sent me here to be their voice maximized. This is the message we wish to send.
“Our people must able to traverse our streets and occupy their homes without the fear of being attacked or assaulted. We have become or are, on many instances, fast becoming a people who do not like to be disciplined.
“But I’m reminded of a statement by the founder of Kwanzaa Dr Maulana Karenga who said, and I quote, ‘the people who refuse to be disciplined will in the end be destroyed by the lack of discipline’,” Miller said.
Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander revealed that there were 55 rapes reported last year and that there had been 139 incidents of unlawful sexual intercourse reported in 2022, an 11 per cent increase over the previous year.
In March, opposition legislator, Maxine Seymour said she was “deeply disturbed” by the recent arrest of a Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) officer for alleged sexual abuse of a minor.
She was also appalled that a 33-year-old RBPF corporal was recently charged with 10 counts of incest.
Earlier this year, a 37-year-old man was sent to prison accused of having sex six times with a 14-year-old girl last year and a 33-year-old police officer was sent to prison after being accused of raping his young daughter over the course of almost three years.
