Rights Bahamas Vice Chairman Joseph Darville yesterday urged the government to move swiftly to enforce Marco’s Law, deploy Marco’s Alert, and create a Sex Offenders Register. 

In a statement issued last evening, Mr. Darville suggested that the government take precautions ensuring that the rights of accused individuals are protected.

This means that they remain innocent until proven guilty.

 Mr. Darville then advised the Minnis Administration not to give in to a “witch hunt mentality”.

He said, “nevertheless, the heartbreaking consequences of a continued failure to act to protect our children are clear for all to see in the awful headlines that mar the front pages on an alarming regularly basis. At the very least, the public must be given a timeline for enactment of all three initiatives.”

The organization’s Vice Chairman  also indicated that Rights Bahamas applauds the government on extending the scope of Marco’s Alert from “mere traditional media,  “allowing for broad dissemination across any phone, pagers, emails, fax, loud speakers and secure encrypted messages through mobile applications and radio.”

These efforts, he said, are a long time in coming, adding that the Christie Administration should have done more to implement them. 

However, he noted that the government failed to prioritize these initiatives in a timely manner.

 He further urged the government to  learn from these mistakes and move swiftly to protect the most innocent among us, “as there is not a moment to spare”.