Wheatley apologises for comments about giving status to rapist
Immigration Minister Vincent Wheatley has apologised for his comments to the Commission of Inquiry (COI) about considerations to grant Belongership status to a convicted rapist.
Wheatley said his comments may have appeared to be inconsiderate but this was never his intention.
“During one of my COI appearances, I was asked about a Belonger status application for a sentenced rapist. My response to the false notion that he (the said convict) received it came across as being insensitive to the victim and offensive to many. This was no way intentional and I do sincerely apologise for giving that impression,” Wheatley said in a statement this week.
The Immigration Minister had said to the COI that the considerations to grant Belongership to the convicted rapist were made by the government on a ‘humanitarian’ basis. He had also told the COI he knew the convicted rapist’s parents and was sympathetic to their appeal to have their son in the territory with them. Wheatley had received backlash from members of the community who had accused him of being insensitive to the rape victim as well as to members of the territory who have been victims of sexual assault and rape.
In the meantime, Wheatley delivered his apology for those comments on Tuesday as the territory observes an event dubbed 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
Worsening situation of gender-based violence
Wheatley also used his address on Tuesday to bring awareness to what he described as a worsening situation of domestic violence in the territory.
He noted the COVID-19 pandemic has made gender-based violence against women and children worse because they had to spend more time at home with abusers especially during the period of lockdown.
Wheatley said efforts to combat gender-based violence is a collective effort for members of the BVI community.
“Government, governmental agencies, the private sector and as a people we should all be accountable for our commitment to gender equality and should be transparent about how we support women. We need to be transparent about how we provide meaningful support, safety, resilience and well-being of women and girls including those facing intersectional discrimination on the basis of age, sexuality, ethnicity or social circumstances,” the minister said.
“When gender equality becomes a collective priority in our global fight to eradicate violence, the observation of 16 days would fall into obscurity eclipsed by a focus on building societies where women and men are equals and vital to the stability of growth. To deny equal participation in an economy solely based on gender is to short change the future of that nation… As a people, as a government, we must do all that we can to adapt [and] promote a zero-tolerant policy among any form of violence against women,” Wheatley added.
As the Virgin Islands tries to eradicate violence against women and children, people in the community who fear that their lives may be in danger are encouraged to contact the police at 311 or contact the Social Development Department, the Family Support Network at 468-3650 or the Office of Gender Affairs at 468-2234 for psychosocial support.
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It’s ok buddy.
We already know you are a misogynist
The damage has already been done
DAMAGE CONTROL
He will be back in the 9th hands down
do him like they do negroes in america after a sexist comment. CANCELLED!!!
Our concern, Mr. Wheatley, is how many other decisions are made under the guise of humanitarianism. Are family, friends, friends of family, classmates, no matter what they have done, privileged to your “humanitarian efforts”? Too many, unfortunately, are leaving HMP to pick up where they left off – EVERY day. You and your party were caught because at least one was concern about these “humanitarian efforts” which carelessness put everyone else’s lives at risk. What others do we not know about? That’s the difficulty!
Apologies!!!! Waaaw. Are going to apologize to the expatriate women who are being sexually harass some vagabond employers. These women have no help from you as a minister. The most they can get is send home from you. There are a lot men out there who have been abused by tola women they can say anything because of draconian policy you put in place regarding the exemption. Go sit down.
You were caught with your pants down . Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speakers
Much respect don’t think I have heard anyone in the house apologize before!!!
Rapist given humanitarian consideration and yet you have so many young people and older who have spent almost their entire life in the BVI and still can’t get a little piece of paper saying they are residents of this territory. Many are law abiding hard working people.
Start granting hard working island people like me ,living in this country for over 20 years our work permits and exemption without hassle we owe rent, banks, we have little BVIslanders to feed , Please have a heart,God is watching
Once you are black and you from the Caribbean you can’t get any status from Mr. You must be white or rapist.
Why did it take so long to apologise? Can this apology be taken as sincere?
They should get his number so they can report him.
ÀND YOU SWALLOWED HOOK LINE AND SINKER ( luckily the boat was too BIG ?
How the premier feeling now
Should be the 1st one to apologise
Shame on vip
This put the last nail in you all coffin
That is not an apology. With that statement he has just dug himself in deeper.
You have a lot of things to apologize for especially the awful way you treated our Caribbean brothers and sisters during covid. You were mean and inconsiderate. Your true feelings about them came out in your discimatory policies.
666 is written in gold number In his … Hy**crite !!!!!! To the max. Treating Caribbean brothers like slaves.