The Government of Barbados is pleased with the hearing today on the Cybercrime Bill at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
The Commissioners expressly endorsed the importance of protecting Barbadians from cybercrime and recognised that the Government of Barbados has been proactive in providing significant opportunities for civil society groups to be consulted and share their views on the Bill during the legislative drafting process.
Commissioner Andrea Pochak noted that significant public consultation such as there has been in Barbados about the Cybercrime Bill is rare in most countries. She also noted that freedom of expression and freedom of religion are not unlimited freedoms but, rather, have legitimate limitations.
Commissioner Gloria de Mees noted that cybercrime and the Cybercrime Bill had captured the attention of many Barbadians.
She talked about the importance of hearing voices with concerns about the Bill but also the importance of the consensus about the need for protections from cybercrime that the Bill provides.
Commissioner de Mees said that the hearing demonstrated the importance of countries ensuring public dialogue about such important issues and she noted that there had been significant dialogue between the Government and civil society already in Barbados.
She noted that some in Barbados felt that the time for dialogue about the Bill was now passed whilst others felt that there was still room for more dialogue, particularly to clarify language about the purpose, scope and limitations of the Bill.
President Edgar Ralon asked the parties to clarify whether the legislative process had ended or whether the Bill could still be amended and it was confirmed that the process had not yet ended.
President Ralon also stated that the theme of freedom of expression is of significant interest to the Commission as an internal focus of attention and that it will continue to monitor the theme closely.
All of the Commissioners offered the technical assistance of the Commission staff to assist, should the Government wish it at any time.