UPR Sexual Rights Database

National Report:
Para 74) A Special Victims Unit was created within the Royal Saint Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF) on 1 April, 2012, to deal with issues including domestic violence and child abuse, among others. On the island of Nevis, there are four police officers from the Special Victims Unit, which is linked to the Department of Social Services. According to reports, with the establishment of the Special Victims Unit, in the case of rape, reporting to authorities has "increased significantly".

Para 75) The Government offers counselling to victims of abuse and trains police, nurses, guidance counsellors and other government employees on domestic and gender violence.

Para 76) The Department of Gender Affairs in collaboration with the Police the government carried out public campaigns against sexual violence, through churches and workplaces, on radio, and amongst civil society.

Para 77) The Department of Gender Affairs has made available three general hotline numbers for persons seeking assistance for themselves or others with respect to domestic violence.

Para 92) The Domestic Violence Act 2014 enabled the Government through the Department of Gender Affairs to heighten awareness relating to teenage pregnancy, sexual education and violence against women and children.

Para 93) This legislation against child abuse, domestic violence classifies sexual violence, rape and incest as serious offences and establish appropriate penalties for the perpetrators, including relatives of the victim.

Para 94) The Domestic Violence Act 2014 further enabled the Government to adopt policies and legislation to combat discrimination and violence against women and children, particularly domestic and sexual violence.

Para 101) Under the Offences Against the Person (Amendment) Act, 2012, rape is recognized as a criminal Act, rape is recognized as a criminal act, liable to penalties under the law. The maximum penalty for rape is life imprisonment.

UN Compilation:
Para 20) The subregional team noted that the Government was currently debating an amended Domestic Violence Bill 2014, which had had a second reading before Parliament, but that its adoption was still pending.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 4) JS2 recognized the efforts of Saint Kitts and Nevis in signing and committing to the following Conventions and international instruments: ... The Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence a The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women;

Para 28) JS2 stated that in August 2014 the government had sought to amend the Domestic Act now retitled "The Domestic Violence Bill" (2014) which was still in draft form, and mentioned that one of the key provisions of this bill was the promotion of economic independence for victims in abusive relationships. JS2 also reported that Saint Kitts and Nevis had made remarkable strides in empowering women through awareness campaigns, programs and policy development, a work executed largely by the Department of Gender Affairs which included training for police, nurses and counselors.

National Report:
Para 33. The Department of Gender Affairs has a significant responsibility in raising awareness; monitoring and improving the status of women and girls in the country through the implementation of a number of International Conventions and declarations.
Para 34) The Department’s priority areas include the formation of a National Gender Policy, the empowerment of women and girls, the reduction of all forms of gender-based violence, poverty elimination, governance and democracy, and programmes for men and boys.
Para 35) The Department of Gender Affairs functions under a policy framework, which is guided by international and regional commitments including the Sustainable Development Goals, Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Gender Equality Observatory, (CSW) Commission on the Status of Women in Saint Kitts & Nevis and the Belém do Pará Convention. It has responsibility to fulfil periodic international, regional and national reporting obligations.
Para 39) In 2016-2017 the Department of Gender Affairs led a Gender Sensitization Project designed to provide the wider society with a more sophisticated understanding of gender; to improve gender mainstreaming in the public sector, and to enable the private sector to address and provide more substantial reporting about gender-related issues. Deliverables from this project included the creation of three sector specific training guides and a manual for use with adolescents, the private sector and focal point units within the public sector. Subsequently, 116 focal points across Saint Kitts and Nevis in the private and public sectors, and civil society were trained. Further gender sensitization training sessions were carried out in July and August 2018 respectively. Gender sensitization training continues to be delivered through the Department of Gender Affairs.
Para 40) After a Gender Equality Study was conducted in 2014, the results renewed the Government’s desire to complete a Gender Policy, and in 2018, the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis restarted the consultative process towards its National Gender Policy. The general objective of the gender policy is to advocate for non- discrimination on the grounds of sex and to provide a framework that will assist the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis in facilitating gender equality and empowerment. The policy will be structured in two parts: gender mainstreaming and gender setting.
Para 41) ‘Gender mainstreaming’ is a strategy embraced by the Government, and is an important initiative that promotes gender equality in institutions policies and programmes. The implications and interests of men and women are considered in order to address unequal social structures. Gender mainstreaming seeks to ensure that gender issues are addressed within the existing development strategies and programmes. Gender setting will seek to transform the existing agenda through the systematic application of a gender perspective. Other strategies will include gender sensitization, training, promotion, ensuring public ownership of the policy, ensuring data disaggregation, promoting women’s empowerment and gender equality, and establishing a gender responsive, monitoring and evaluating mechanism within government and other agencies.
Para 42) The Government recently received approval for additional funding, from UNESCO, to complete the drafting of said policy. The document is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2021 and will be presented to Cabinet for approval thereafter.

UN Compilation:
Para 11) The subregional team asserted that the Constitution prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex, race, place of origin, political opinions, colour or creed, but that no specific legislation addressed discrimination on the basis of disability, language, sexual orientation gender identity or social status. UNESCO underscored that no sufficient measures had been taken to address persisting discriminations.

Para 15) The subregional team stated that societal negative attitudes towards the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community impeded the operation of organizations working for such individuals and their free association. It asserted that public discourse on the rights of such individuals indicated that there remained strong sentiment against homosexuality and gay marriage, and reported that the former Prime Minister had publicly advocated a review of the country's anti-sodomy laws and tolerance for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals

Stakeholder Summary
Para 10) JS2 reported that during the 2011 review, despite several recommendations made to decriminalize consensual same sex relations, Saint Kitts and Nevis stated that a popular "mandate" was necessary for state protection of the rights of sexual minorities, and that continued criminalization of consensual sex under sections 56 and 57 of the Offences against the Person Act was justified because of "strong opposition" by citizens to repeal these laws.

Para 11) JS2 affirmed that subsequent to UPR 2011, acts of violence committed against persons because of their sexual orientation or gender identity continued to occur, and persons who defended the rights of these individuals were often subjected to verbal attacks.