Alicia Wallace

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2019-002-001
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2019
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 25.03428

Longitude: -77.3962799999999

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
The Bahamas
From Region
UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
  • UN Treaty Bodies: CEDAW
Dates of prior UN action
30 May 2019
Type of record
Named individual
Gender
Female
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Individual's/organization's activity

from Equality Bahamas working on women’s rights and gender-based violence

Type of rights defended
  • Women’s rights
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal

engaged with the Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in the context of the review of Bahamas. Equality Bahamas submitted a public alternative report to CEDAW and Ms. Wallace travelled to Geneva to deliver an oral statement during the CEDAW session on 24 October 2019.

Engagement with UN body
  • UN Treaty Bodies: CEDAW
Dates of engagement
October 2018; 24 October 2019
Type of attempted engagement
  • Participation in meeting on UN premises
  • Submission of information to UN
Dates of mentioned reprisals
In the days following 24 October 2019
Reprisal information

Ms. Wallace’s statement was reportedly echoed in local newspapers and was read aloud by the host of a popular radio talk show, Freedom March. During the radio show, the host made disparaging comments about CEDAW, and about Ms. Wallace and her colleagues, including related to their engagement with the UN. The host reportedly displayed pictures of Ms. Wallace and her colleagues and criticized their advocacy. This episode reportedly worsened an already hostile environment for Ms. Wallace, who in 2014 had received death threats on Facebook in connection to her work on violence against women.

Types of reprisals suffered
  • Defamation / Defamation campaign
  • Online harassment
  • Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
Alleged/likely perpetrators
Non-state actor(s)
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
No
Government response dates
22 June 2019
Government response content

the Government responded and noted that, upon receipt of the allegations, the relevant authorities started an investigation, contacted Ms. Wallace to obtain more information about her situation, and offered her assistance through the Gender Based Violence Specialist, Department of Gender and Family Affairs. The Government expressed concern about the allegations stating that it will seek to protect the rights and safety of women defenders in the country.

Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
No
How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
0