Caribbean Red Cross societies step up H1N1 response

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- In response to the H1N1 pandemic, Red Cross societies around the Caribbean are supporting their statutory health care systems in preparing communities to respond to H1N1. Thanks to funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Red Cross staff and volunteers have been working directly with community members to share information on how to reduce the transmission of the virus.

The Red Cross has for many years trained Community Disaster Response Teams (CDRTs) to respond to emergencies whether they be natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and floods or health emergencies as is the case with H1N1. Currently, these CDRTs are helping persons, particularly in remote and vulnerable areas to understand the H1N1 virus better; its incubation period and the personal hygiene practices required to reduce the spread of the disease.

To cite a few concrete examples of the work being done by the Red Cross across the Caribbean, the Aruba Red Cross gave assistance to the Department of Healthcare of Aruba in the screening process of passengers and crew members of a cruise ship. In response to requests from their Ministry of Health, the Grenada Red Cross was able to mobilize specially trained volunteers known as National Intervention Teams (NITs) to assist Port Health workers at the airport and cruise ship port within half an hour of being asked to do so. Saint Lucia Red Cross was able to activate its volunteers to distribute 30,000 flyers at the Jazz Festival earlier this year.

In addition to community work, the Guyana, Jamaica and Belize Red Cross have been working with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) to raise awareness on hygiene and prevention of H1N1 within institutions such as elderly homes, orphanages and prisons. These activities are only undertaken with the support of the health authorities to reinforce national preparedness and prevention.

The Dominca Red Cross is gearing up for an influx of international visitors to two major music events: World Creole Music festival and ‘Creole in the Park’. They are working along with the event organisers to spread the word to visitors and locals alike on how to protect themselves and their families from contracting the H1N1 virus and what to do if they have symptoms. Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross volunteers are assisting the South West Regional Health Authority to triage patients with H1N1 symptoms.

These are just a few of the ways that Red Cross volunteers have been invaluable in assisting their communities in an emergency. The Red Cross continues to have the support of donors for its community and volunteer development programmes, which have ensured this timely response.

November 2, 2009

caribbeannetnews

Obama, Buju & gays

Ian Boyne

Jamaica's President of choice in the United States, the deeply loved Barack Obama, facilitated an historic and far-reaching victory for gays on Wednesday when he signed the first major piece of gay-rights legislation into federal law, an act seen as path-breaking as the 1960s civil rights legislation.

Large numbers of Jamaicans, who share a cult-like adoration of Obama and an even more vehement aversion to homosexuals, must be in what the psychologists call cognitive dissonance. It's just hard to hold those two things together in one heart. Rationalisation is usually the way out. What seems undeniable, though, is that Obama is the most gay-friendly president the United Sates has had - at least publicly.

From his presidential campaign he made it clear that he would advance the cause of gays as part of his overall mantra of inclusiveness. He had promised to support this new legislation, labelling as 'hate crime' violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people, putting it on par with crimes against persons for racial, religious and ethnic reasons. Gay-rights activists see this as a major victory on the road to full integration in American society.

For a crime is a crime and violence is violence, so if someone gets murdered, for whatever reasons, the law has provisions to deal with that. As well-known homosexual columnist Andrew Sullivan has written: "The real reasons for the hate crime laws are not a defence of human beings from crime. There are already laws against that - Matthew Shepard's murderers were successfully prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law in a state with no hate-crimes law at the time".

The amendment made into law on Wednesday was partially in honour of Matthew Shepherd, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, who died after a 1998 beating targeting him because he was gay. His parents led the struggle for this legislation. "This hate-crimes bill is the proverbial foot in the door or camel nose in the tent that makes possible - indeed inevitable - all future laws involving 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity', screams the Harvard and Princeton-educated theologian Robert Gagnon, who has written the finest theological work critiquing homosexuality (The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics).

Gagnon, in a paper titled, 'Why a sexual orientation and gender identity hate crimes law is bad for you', posits that this legislation "ensconces in federal law the principle that homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality are as benign as race, gender and disability - an aspect of human diversity that must be affirmed and celebrated. Those who refuse to go along with this principle then become encoded in law as hateful, discriminatory bigots."

The founder of the gay rights advocacy group Equality Forum, Malcolm Lazin, was not unmindful of the significance of the Obama-signed legislation on Wednesday. He was quoted in the media as saying, "This is really the first federal gay-rights bill. So it is a literally historic moment. This is America acknowledging homophobia as a social problem". For Republicans and conservative religious folks, this is a major retreat for America, morally, as the gay lobby advances in its mission of gaining full acceptance - and even persecuting those who would beg to differ.

Fears are being expressed that free speech could be endangered by this legislation, in that strong opposition to homosexual behaviour could be construed as incitement to violence. For example, if someone quotes the Old Testament which says homosexuals are to be killed (and it does say that) and a homosexual gets killed nearby afterward, could that person be charged with inciting violence? Or if one preaches that homosexuality is an "abomination", which the Bible says, could he be prosecuted for a hate crime?

In 2007 two 16-year-old girls were arrested on hate-crime charges for distributing about 40 fliers on cars in the student parking lot of their school, featuring two boys kissing. The pamphlets also contained what was considered anti-homosexual slur. The assistant state attorney for the county, Thomas Carroll, stated then: "You can be charged with a hate crime if you make a statement or take an action that inflicts injury or incites a breach of the peace based on a person's race, creed, gender or perceived sexual orientation." And another Assistant State Attorney, Robert Windon said, "We do not feel this type of behaviour is what the First Amendment protects". Hate crimes are now part of federal law and the rub is, what can be deemed to be incitement or inducement to violence?

Preachers and ordinary Christians fear that they might soon not be able to as speak out against homosexuality at all. There was an important protective clause in the legislation which was subsequently taken out and which would have given more solace to conservatives. When the Bill was originally introduced in the US House of Representatives, it contained this provision: "Noting in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be construed to prohibit any expressive conduct protected from legal prohibition or any activities protected by the free speech or free exercise of the First Amendment to the Constitution".

cause of concern:

But House Democrats deleted the following words: "the free speech or free exercise clauses of the First Amendment to". That these words were omitted is a cause of concern to conservative religious people, particularly the Christian Right. There are already disturbing indications that hate crimes legislation can lead to an abridgement of free speech. In a number of European and Scandinavian democracies, verbal opposition to homosexuality has been punished.

Gagnon cites some examples from neighbouring Canada where free speech infringements have been flagrant as a result of simple opposition to homosexuality. For example, a Roman Catholic priest who writes for Catholic Insight magazine has been fined and threatened with imprisonment for speaking out against homosexual behaviour. One Roman Catholic activist, Bill Whatcott, has been fined for producing pamphlets calling homosexuality immoral. Pastor Stephen Boisson was ordered to desist from expressing his views on homosexual behaviour in any public forum after he wrote a letter to the press denouncing homosexuality as immoral.

Says Gagnon expressing fears about the impact of the passage of this new federal law : "The argument that free speech protections in the US constitution will prevent such abuses from taking place rings hollow in view of the inducement to violence provision in Title 18.2 and in view of the fact that even Supreme Court justices have taken to citing precedents in foreign law (e.g. the Lawrence sodomy decision). Moreover, we already have instances in the US where 'sexual orientation' laws led to abridgements of other liberties".

Most Jamaican Obama lovers would be deeply disturbed by a speech he gave at the Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month Reception at the White House. They would be alarmed that the President could even welcome homosexuals with open arms to the White House. But the President welcomed the gays by saying "Welcome to your White House".

In this speech delivered on June 29 this year, President Obama made this frightening statement (as it would be to fierce, visceral opponents of homosexuality here) : "I suspect that by the time this administration is over, I think you guys will have pretty good feelings about the Obama administration."

In this speech (what does Betty Ann Blaine think?), Obama spoke, some would say, patronisingly about those who "hold fast to worn arguments and old attitudes". Obama pointed to things already achieved for the gay community - his signed memorandum requiring all agencies to extend as many federal benefits as possible to LGBT families and his commitment to ending the ban on the entry of gays to the military.

slain homosexual student:

He said: "My administration is working hard to pass an employee non-discrimination bill". He then promised to sign a hate-crimes bill in honour of slain homosexual student Shepherd, whose parents were at the reception. (President Bush had previously refused to sign this bill)

Said Obama: "Someday, I'm confident, we'll look back at this transition and ask why it generated such angst." But he pledged to the homosexuals gathered at the White House to celebrate Gay Pride Month that: "We must continue to do our part to make progress - step by step, law by law, mind by changing mind." This is what frightens conservative people about the passage of this federal law last week.

The first black US president went on: "And I want you to know that in this task I will not only be your friend but I will continue to be an ally and a champion and a president who fights for you". Jamaicans who are said to be homophobic will have a problem with that commitment, although, happily for them, the vast majority won't see these words hidden in long-winded columns.

Buju Banton is feeling the pressure of the gays. Even he was strategically forced to meet and greet them, posing uneasily with them. But their demands were hard: He should hold a town hall meeting declaring his love of homosexuals, sing songs urging love for our gay brothers and as though that were not enough, donate some funds to the gay cause through their local organisation. Buju declined, though he is getting flack for even meeting and greeting.

It is almost impossible to have a rational, dispassionate discussion about homosexuality in Jamaica for, on both sides - the enraged anti-gay Jamaican majority and the embattled, defensive gay community - reason is expendable and emotions are at a premium. But the time is past due for a serious discussion of the issues. I am ready for the discourse. Are you -without the abuse, prejudice and name-calling?

Ian Boyne is a veteran journalist who may be reached at iboyne1@yahoo.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.

jamaica-gleaner

Bahamas Caribbean Blog International

Report recommends tax changes for British Overseas Territories

LONDON, England, October 30, 2009 - A report commissioned by the United Kingdom government is recommending that British Overseas Territories, including those in the Caribbean, introduce more taxes to put their economies on a firmer footing.

The report, prepared by former director of the Bank of England Michael Foot, reviewed the three Crown Dependencies - Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey - and six Overseas Territories - Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

"The tax regimes in most of the Overseas Territories have not evolved beyond the imposition of specific transaction and consumption taxes; they operate a range of customs duties on imports, on which they are heavily reliant for revenue," Foot said, adding that there are no taxes levied on income, profits and capital gains, and no sales or value added taxes.

Foot said that consultancy firm Deloitte, which played a part in the review, found "a compelling case for those of the nine jurisdictions which do not already operate VAT or Goods and Services Tax (GST) to consider introducing such a system to increase the sustainability of their business models by broadening their revenue bases".

"Deloitte noted that this would be of particular importance for the Overseas Territories should the global trend for reducing reliance on customs duties continue," he said.

Foot himself said that none of the jurisdictions he had reviewed could afford to be complacent.

"Some now face difficult decisions and will need to look afresh at options for controlling public expenditure and increasing revenue," he said.

The UK Minister for the Overseas Territories, Chris Bryant, said he welcomed Foot's "balanced and intelligent report", which also stated that British offshore financial centres must ensure they meet international standards on tax information exchange, financial regulation, anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.

"I have argued for some time that the Overseas Territories need to have robust governance of financial institutions, transparency in financial systems, proper regulation of off-shore financial services and a broader tax base," Bryant said.

"The Overseas Territories have made substantial progress, especially in relation to financial transparency. I shall be working closely with the governments and governors to ensure that these recommendations are taken forward."

Lord Bach, Ministry of Justice Minister for the Crown Dependencies, added that the review was "helpful" and that it recognised that in a fast changing and increasingly complex financial environment, there is no room for complacency.

caribbean360

Bahamas Caribbean Blog International

UN General Assembly urges end to US embargo on Cuba

By Sebastian Smith:


UNITED NATIONS (AFP) -- The UN General Assembly called overwhelmingly Wednesday on US President Barack Obama's administration to end Washington's Cold War-era trade embargo against Cuba.

This was the 18th year running that the UN General Assembly condemned US trade restrictions on the communist-ruled island.

The non-binding vote was backed by 187 countries, ranging from Latin American neighbors of Cuba to members of the European Union and other close US allies.

Only Israel and tiny Palau supported the United States, while Micronesia and the Marshall Islands abstained.

The margin of opposition to the US embargo has grown steadily since 1992, when 59 countries voted in favor of the resolution. The figure was 179 in 2004, 182 in 2005, 184 in 2007, and 185 last year.

The embargo was imposed nearly five decades ago at the height of the Cold War when Cuba was a Soviet client state.

Cuba's Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, called the embargo "an absurd policy that causes scarcities and sufferings. It is a crass, flagrant and systematic violation of human rights."

He told the General Assembly that despite signs of a US-Cuban thaw since Obama's election last year "there has not been any change in the implementation of the economic, commercial and financial blockade."

Voting for the UN resolution would be "an act against aggression and the use of force. It would be an act in favor of peace," he said.

However, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, dismissed the "painfully familiar rhetoric."

"The hostile language we have just heard from the foreign minister of Cuba seems straight out of the Cold War era and is not conducive to constructive progress," she said.

Rice said Washington was offering Havana "a new chapter" in their relations but had as yet received no answer.

She rejected assertions that the US embargo was responsible for Cuba's crushing poverty, blaming the near permanent economic crisis in the country on government control over the economy and society.

"There are many things the government of Cuba could do," she said. "Positive measures could include liberating the hundreds of prisoners of conscience in Cuban jails (and)... demonstrating greater respect for freedom of speech."

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly reinforced Rice's statement saying the US would consider lifting the embargo "when the government of Cuba starts to make some positive steps toward -- toward loosening up its repression of its own people."

Kelly said in Washington that the yearly UN vote "obscures the facts that the United States is a leading source of food and humanitarian relief to Cuba" that last year totaled 717 million dollars.

The US economic, trade and financial sanctions were imposed 47 years ago following the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of the Caribbean island nation by US-backed Cuban exiles.

Since taking office in January, Obama has moved to ease tensions with small steps such as relaxing rules on visits and money transfers to the island.

But so far, the US administration has not taken major strides in its approach to the Americas' last remaining communist regime.

In July, the two countries officially restarted a dialogue on migration issues which had been suspended since 2003, and talks are also under way aimed at restarting bilateral mail service which was cut off in 1963.

October 29, 2009

caribbeannetnews

Caribbean sees drop in HIV, AIDS cases

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AFP) -- The number of people with HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean is on the decline, but more must be done to contain the disease, a senior official said Monday, on the eve of a regional meeting on the ailment.

The ninth annual general meeting of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) is to be held on the island of Grenada from October 28 to 30.

The Guyana-based PANCAP unit of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) headquarters said the region recorded 17,000 new infections last year compared to 20,000 the previous year.

PANCAP also said there were 11,000 deaths compared to 14,000 during the same period in 2008.

"The figures are still very high for such a small region," said PANCAP director Carl Browne, comparing the Caribbean on a per capita basis to sub-Saharan Africa.

Latest statistics show that 230,000 people in the Caribbean and 22 million in Africa live with HIV and AIDS. And the prevalence rate among adults in sub-Saharan Africa is five percent compared to 1.1 percent in the Caribbean.

Authorities say the decline in new infections is due to massive public education and increased condom-use, while the reduced number of deaths is a result of better access to care and treatment.

The estimated 150 participants at the PANCAP general meeting are to discuss the latest advancements in developing an HIV vaccine that has shown a 31 percent rate of success.

They will also examine the impact of HIV and AIDS on the Caribbean's finance and education sectors.

October 27, 2009

caribbeannetnews

Bahamas Blog Bahamas

Central America most crime-ridden region in world, UN report finds

21 October 2009 – Central America has become the region with the highest levels of non-political crime worldwide, with an average murder rate of 33 per 100,000 inhabitants last year, three times greater than the global average, a new United Nations report warns, noting that crime threatens the region’s development.

Some 79,000 people have been murdered in the region over the past six years, but despite these heightened levels of violence, solving the problem of insecurity is possible within the framework of democracy, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Report on Human Development in Central America 2009-2010.

“Apart from its economic costs, which are concrete and indisputable, one of the main reasons why this is a crucial issue is that violence and crime are affecting the day-to-day decisions of the population, making insecurity a clear hindrance to human development,” UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Rebeca Grynspan said.

“One of the most difficult costs to quantify is that of lost freedoms,” she added.  “No aspect of human security is as basic as keeping the population from being victimized by fear and physical violence.”

Security involves intelligent diagnosis, a real political will and an integrated system for adopting and executing short- and long-term actions, the report says.

“Security is everyone’s right, and the State has the duty to provide it,” said Hernando Gómez Buendía, the general coordinator of the report.  “Without security, there is no investment.  Without investment, there is no employment, and without employment, there is no human development.  Security is an essential part of the development strategy of nations and cities.”

Security requires a very hands-on management of the problem, and an intelligent citizen security strategy for human development would not be complete without the participation of local governments, according to the report.  This assumes direct knowledge of the problem, proximity, decentralization and flexibility on the part of national and local authorities.

Both the strong-arm and the soft touch approaches have failed and must evolve toward a “smart” strategy of citizen security for human development with a new comprehensive strategy that includes preventive and coercive actions, congruence with the justice system and respect for the values of civility, it adds.  Real political will, clear leadership, and continuity from one government to the next are crucial.

U.N. News

Barbados opens region's first HIV/AIDS Food Bank

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, October 23, 2009 - Barbados has become the first country in the region to have a dedicated HIV/AIDS Food Bank and Personal Development Centre.

Health Minister Donville Inniss, in officially opening the Vashti Inniss Empowerment Centre this week, said the new facility signalled government's commitment to meet the 2006 United Nations' General Assembly goal of Universal Access to comprehensive HIV prevention, programmes, treatment, care and support by 2010.

"The results of the scaling up of efforts have been promising, with statistics showing that persons are now learning to live with HIV instead of waiting to die from it," he said.

"In scaling up towards universal access, countries must ensure that nobody is left behind and our efforts must therefore be equitable, accessible and affordable. The opening of the HIV/AIDS Food Bank and Personal Development Centre is one of the ways in which this Government cements its commitment to universal access."

He explained that universal access signified a concrete commitment and a renewed resolve among people around the globe to reverse the course of the epidemic: "It is not a new initiative, but rather it builds on past processes and infuses existing initiatives with new momentum."

The Health Minister further observed that "AIDS is an exceptional crisis requiring an exceptional response" and reflected that other commitments had been made in response to the pandemic. Among them was the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS in 2001, where the disease increasingly received the political and financial attention it deserved.

Inniss said the facility would improve accessibility to essential prevention and care services, noting that government recognised that cost should not be a barrier to accessing essentials such as medicines, diagnostics and services and meaningful information.

"Services must be available when and where people need them, and they should be able to access them, without fear of prejudice and discrimination," he stressed. "Our programmes must also be sustainable, knowing that HIV is a lifelong challenge requiring sustained action for preventing new infections and saving and improving the quality of the lives of those with HIV. Services must, therefore, be available throughout people's lives rather than as one-off interventions."

The facility houses the food bank and a personal development centre - named after an early pioneer in empowering persons infected and living with HIV, retired health educator Vashti Inniss - that provides comprehensive HIV prevention and psychosocial support and care services to those in need.

Minister Inniss said the combined facility would ensure that prevention, treatment, care and impact mitigation services are delivered with the full inclusion of people living with HIV, civil society, faith-based organisations, private sector, international partners and government.

The HIV/AIDS Food Bank is managed by a Community Nutrition Officer, with specialist training in HIV nutrition, assisted by a cadre of dedicated volunteers. Psychology services will be provided by a clinical psychologist; while HIV testing and counseling, and community health education will be the responsibility of the Ministry of Health.

The unit also houses the Sex Worker's Project and three non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that cater to the needs of persons living with HIV (PLHIV).

Inniss said that housing these NGOs in this state-owned and operated facility represents the Ministry's strengthening of strategic alliances with key partners who comprise the National AIDS Programme.

The HIV/AIDS Food Bank and Personal Development Centre is also located next door to a specialty clinic responsible for the management of PLHIV in Barbados and is also neighbour to the private sector AIDS Foundation Inc of Barbados.

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