Business View Caribbean April 2023

7 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 10, ISSUE 4 OPENING L INES O p e n i n g L i n e s Legislative reform needed to protect women, girls Source: Barbados Today, First Published on April 7, 2023 Two civil society organizations (CSOs) presented their concerns and recommendations on the human rights situation in Barbados during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Pre-Sessions 43 held from the 3rd – 6th April in Geneva, Switzerland. The UPR is a mechanism of the United Nations Human Rights Council that reviews the human rights records of all UN member states every five years. One of the CSO panellists for Barbados included Alian Ollivierre-Skeete, Executive Director of I Am A Girl NGO. In her remarks on Thursday, she highlighted the progress made by Barbados in advancing human rights since the last review in 2017, with varying legislative reforms and the promotion of gender equality. However, Ollivierre-Skeete also raised concerns about the persistent challenges faced by certain groups, such as women, children, and especially girls, as they are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence and abuse. I Am A Girl NGO presented a range of recommendations to the Barbadian government, including the need to enact comprehensive anti- discrimination legislation, a further review of legislation like the Sexual Offences Act, address violence against women and girls, especially related to incest, improve access to justice for marginalized groups, and increase the participation of civil society and the girls we serve in human