The Cayman Islands Government has announced that the Draft Sexual Harassment Bill, 2023 (“the Bill”) has now been published as a White Paper for public consultation.
The White Paper will remain open for comments and feedback from the public through 15 April 2023. Before it becomes a law, the draft Bill has been released to allow for thorough consultation while it remains easily amendable. It also allows the public to express their opinions and concerns, which helps elicit any suggestions or opinions from stakeholders, the wider public and Members of Parliament.
Premier and the Minister for Gender Affairs, Hon. Wayne Panton JP, MP, said the Government has been working through several versions of a Sexual Harassment Bill designed to prevent, deter and hold individuals accountable for sexual harassment offences:
“This bill seeks to provide individuals with protection from sexual harassment and sets out requirements and duties for employers, institutions and associations. I recognise that the scale and scope of this legislation warrants an extensive period of public consultation to allow sufficient time for people to familiarise themselves with the proposed bill and provide feedback,” said the Premier.
“The Government seeks the public’s input on how to adopt a robust framework, and operationalise it in a way that reflects fair and balanced governance.” the Premier concluded.
The public consultation process seeks to ensure a high level of awareness and understanding of the rationale and aim of the legislation amongst the general public and the relevant entities. The Gender Affairs Unit (under the Cabinet Office) will coordinate stakeholder engagement and feedback processes through methods such as face-to-face meetings and presentations. Feedback will be used to improve and clarify concepts, procedures or provisions of the Bill.
Members of the public can submit their comments for consideration before 15 April 2023 via email to genderequality@gov.ky (with the subject heading: Sexual Harassment Bill Public Consultation 2023), or by completing the Survey on the Public Consultation Hub.
At the end of the consultation period, feedback will be collated, analysed and incorporated into the draft Sexual Harassment Bill for consideration by Cabinet and Gazettal at a later date.
To learn more about the Sexual Harassment Bill, 2023 and the public consultation process, visit gov.ky/sexualharassment.
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