By: Staff Writer
October 22, 2024
A Bahamian cabinet minister said at the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting that climate change displacement affects women disproportionately and efforts to build on digitizing services must be seen as paramount to addressing this challenge.
Myles Laroda, Minister of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting for The Bahamas, said at the opening plenary of the CHOGM Women’s Forum in Samoa: “I commend the Commonwealth Secretariat for the theme of the panels, gender and climate change, ending violence against women and girls, data, digital technology and accountability and women’s economic empowerment.”
Recounting devastation The Bahamas felt after Hurricane Dorian in 2019, which left over 70 people dead with over $3 billion in damages, he also said: “according to the United Nations, four in five people displaced by climate change globally are women.”
Laroda added: “Many of the persons displaced by Dorian were women and girls who were housed in shelters across the Bahamas. Their vulnerability placed them at an increased risk of gender based violence.”
Thanking all of the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that helped with getting the Dorian hit islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco back on their feet, Laroda also said: “We are also thankful to the Commonwealth for its unwavering support for the Bahamas the experience of. Hurricane Dorian underscores the urgent need for gender responsive climate action that would invest more in women and girls as transformative agents of climate change.
Laroda also said: “We believe that collaboration makes a significant difference as we move together with concerted effort to address these issues. Ladies and gentlemen, the government of the Bahamas recognizes that digital technology can help to deliver social benefits for all its citizens and persons within its borders.”
Laroda continued: “Currently, we are several years into the implementation of digital government project. MyGateway launched in 2021 to address productivity challenges and reduce the time and cost required to conduct government transactions.
“MyGateway improves outcomes for women who are often burdened with care work by enabling them to avail themselves of time saving measures online instead of commuting from many locations.
“We all know that time is money and for women, time is also precious. Through my department of gender and family affairs, we promote and advocate for programs that address gender stereotyping and work bias.”
He also said: “While we may not fully attain our goals eradicating gender based violence and ensuring equity for women and girls during our lifetime, we can certainly advance the cause and make tremendous progress.”