A recent comment made by Minister of Gender Affairs Dean Jonas is causing a frenzy in the nation.
Jonas was being interviewed by state media on this year’s ’16 days of activism’ when he said: “the girl might be 13, 14 years old, have sex with a gentleman much older than her, maybe twice her age but it is consensual she consented. And the legal framework will be very harsh against the gentleman so a lot of times it goes unreported because of that.”
But according to the Sexual offenses Act of Antigua and Barbuda the age of consent is 16.
Residents are therefor calling on the Minister to retract his statement or resign.
“Nah, this ain’t it. You need to retract you statement. Anna so consent work,” one woman remarked
Another not only requested that Jonas retract his statement but that he also “apologize to the citizens of this country.”
“Please explain why you think a 13 year old or any teen for that matter can consent to sex when their brain (and the rest of their body for that matter) is not even fully developed? What you said is absolutely disgusting,” another woman lamented.
United Progressive Party(UPP) also condemned the remarks made by Jonas, saying that his statements were “insensitive and flawed.”
Political Leader of the UPP Harold Lovell said: “This is very unfortunate. At a time like this when the focus is on getting the public-especially males that any type of violence against women and girls is wrong.”
He added that the comments are “particularly jarring.”
Lovell further opined that “the violation of a child is an extremely serious and disgusting matter that demands condemnation and prosecution. Not rationalization.”
General Secretary of the Party Sen Shawn Nicholas also went as far as to state that the minister should be fired for “providing a rationale for raping a minor.”
