If You Spent 2017 in the Caribbean, This Was The Kind of Year You Had · Global Voices
An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 (HSC-22), attached to the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), performs humanitarian aid operations on the embattled island of Dominica following the landfall of Hurricane Maria. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class <PERSON>/Released)170924-N-VK310-0009. Via the Official U.S. Navy Flickr Page, CC BY 2.0
Every year has its ups and downs; however, 2017 was a bit like a rollercoaster for the Caribbean archipelago, complete with incredible highs and stomach-churning lows. Here's a look back at some of the issues the region wrestled with this year, and how it both failed and triumphed in the midst of change:
The highs
The environment
The critically endangered Jamaica Iguana. Photo by conservation photographer <PERSON>, used with permission.
While the environment took a huge hit because of the harsh 2017 Atlantic hurricane season which wreaked havoc in many island territories, nature also won big thanks to the efforts of dedicated environmentalists.
First off, the rest of the region rallied to the aid of the territories that were the worst affected — a trend that was evident even when smaller scale disasters like flooding happened on a local level before the hurricane season began.
Just as heartening was the way that good news and stories of resilience began to surface after Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the region, countering the “disaster porn” narrative that was beginning to take shape on international mainstream media. There were also glimpses of hope as badly battered Dominica began to rebuild, and the region's birds, whose habitats had been destroyed, were making a post-hurricane comeback.
The icing on the cake came in the form of a landmark victory for environmentalists in Jamaica who managed, after a long and hard-fought campaign, to convince the government to create a wildlife sanctuary on the Goat Islands. 482
The area, once threatened by a transshipment port development, is now a sanctuary for the critically endangered Jamaican Iguana (Cyclura Collei), which had initially been thought extinct but was rediscovered in the Portland Bight Protected Area's Hellshire Hills in 1990.
Women finding their voices
A cross section of the crowd at the Tambourine Army Survivor Empowerment March Against Sexual Violence. Photo by <PERSON>, used with permission.
It was a tough year for Caribbean women, with often fatal incidents of gender-based violence dominating the headlines. Adding insult to injury was the tendency to victim-blame, putting the onus on women to protect themselves from potential predators.
But there were victories, too. In Jamaica, the Tambourine Army movement began to “advocate differently for the rights of women and girls”, unapologetically putting the issue of sexual violence on the front burner. While one of the group's founders faced a severe backlash for it (she was arrested and charged on three counts of “the use of computer for malicious communication” under the country's Cybercrimes Act, ostensibly for “naming and shaming” alleged perpetrators), the group was eventually vindicated, with the country's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) saying it was “not a viable prosecution”.
Protection of the most vulnerable
Wedding ring in sand. Photo by <PERSON>, CC BY 2.0.
Perhaps the brightest spot of all when it came to women's rights was Trinidad and Tobago's abolition of child marriage which, up until this year, had been legal.
Jamaica also stepped up to the plate by taking steps to improve its missing child prevention and recovery efforts via a Facebook alert system. The country also created a database to track the human rights violations of the region's most vulnerable communities.
In that vein, the Jamaican prime minister, <PERSON>, made a historic apology for the “grave injustice” of an attack made on Rastafarians in 1963. Eight Jamaicans were killed on what has come to be called “Bad Friday”, and as many as 150 Rastafarians were rounded up, arrested, abused, and had their dreadlocks cut as part of an atmosphere of systematic oppression, discrimination and open hostility towards them that had begun prior to independence.
However, indigenous communities still face an uphill battle when it comes to gaining rights and recognition in the region.
The lows
Lack of trust in state bodies
Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) uniform detail taken during Jamaica's 2010 state of emergency. Photo by the BBC World Service, CC BY-NC 2.0. 271