NAC Chair Gives Update on Progress of Equal Opportunities Bill

In a telephone interview with the Chair of the National AIDS Commission, News Five got an update on the status of the controversial Equal Opportunities Bill. Public consultations have concluded on the proposed legislation which, according to the Ministry of Human Development, the NAC and the Office of the Special Envoy for Women and Children, regulates specific conduct in areas of public life in order to protect individuals belonging to the nineteen identified vulnerable groups from violence. Laura Tucker-Longsworth says that with consultations over, the document is being prepared for submission.

On the Phone: Laura Tucker-Longsworth , Chair, National AIDS Commission

“Even while the public consultations ended, we continued with smaller group consultations including insurance, chamber of Commerce, the clergy and we got extremely important insight—even the unions—and we took all those things into consideration. So the consultations have actually ended and so we are now, once the COVID-19 crisis passes, we are waiting for the right time to proceed with moving to cabinet with this document to see if this is something that they can…you know because we have outlined the transparency of the process and the justification for it, we are hoping to move it into the National Assembly. And even at that point, you do know that the community will have another opportunity to make presentations again. So it is not completed, but from our point of view, from the National AIDS Commission, we have done every single thing to really demonstrate transparency and wide consultations. So the document is being prepared for submission.”