He will dedicate the rest of his life to the fight for women’s rights, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, the Hon. Fred Mitchell said.

During his 2016/2017 Budget Debate Contribution, on Monday, June 20, Minister Mitchell pledged his commitment to addressing issues facing women in the country. He made reference to the Constitutional Referendum, held June 7 and said that the results have renewed his commitment.

“I will be dedicating the next campaign to the fight for women’s rights,” said Minister Mitchell. “Having seen what happened in the last referendum campaign, I am more convinced than ever that there is a need to address this issue.

“The issue is not just about the legal rights of women but about their self-image and self-esteem. I am concerned that the Eurocentric interests are so dominant that it disfigures black women and this should stop.

“Young black girls should know and appreciate their bodies and faces and see themselves in a positive image and likeness and not try to reach some ideal, which does not exist and which is harmful to their self-esteem and this includes their hair.”

Minister Mitchell said he had made the statements against the ‘backdrop’ of the work done by women in the country’s political arena.

“Like the church, the politics of the country could not survive without the work and support of women. I pledge the remainder of my public life in that fight.

“At the same time, I am concerned that the little boys and young men in Fox Hill should be taught their role as protectors and keepers of the peace, not to create havoc and war.”

He said these roles must start when children are in primary school and still in their formative years, where they can be moulded. He also said the Government places many of the country’s resources on primary school education for this very same reason.

“We still need at Sandilands Primary a pre-school. This is a priority for me. Education generally is the key to forward progress. I thank my colleague, the Minister of Education for all the support given to the three schools in Fox Hill – Doris Johnson, L. W. Young and Sandilands Primary. The three principals are James Clarke, Janet Nixon and Esther Cartwright.

“I single out Mrs. Nixon, who will with the close of the school year, ends 45 years as an educator, the last seven of them as Principal of the LW Young School. I thank her for her leadership and I wish her well in her future endeavours,” Minister Mitchell said.