Grenada is being urged to amend its Criminal Code to legalise abortion under all circumstances, which is among the 171 recommendations suggested to the Caribbean island during its 2025 Universal Periodic Review, held in Geneva, Switzerland, earlier this week.
Section 234 of the Criminal Code states “whoever intentionally and unlawfully causes abortion, or miscarriage shall be liable to imprisonment for ten years”.
But repealing that law is among six recommendations offered by Iceland. The other recommendations from Iceland are to abolish the death penalty; sign and ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and adopt the reproductive rights health policy ensuring impactful, sustainable, equitable action on reproductive health.
The Icelandic Representative also recommended that Grenada eliminate barriers to justice for survivors of gender based violence and for third party corroboration in sexual violence cases; Grenada is also being called upon to provide comprehensive sexual education in schools, decriminalise same sex relations between consenting adults by repealing articles 430 and 431 of the criminal code and produce comprehensive updated discrimination laws.
The United Kingdom in its recommendation called on Grenada to repeal legal discriminatory provisions against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, particularly those in the Sexual Offences Act and Criminal Code.
It also wants St George’s to ratify and implement the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (OP-CEDAW)
Other recommendations that pertain to the protection of women include adopting an effective legal framework to protect women from all forms of discrimination and violence which came from Italy while Latvia recommended that the island take all appropriate measures to eradicate discrimination and combat violence against women.
Nepal recommended that the island step up efforts to reduce gender-based violence and ensure access to justice to the victims while the Kingdom of the Netherlands recommended that increased efforts be undertaken by strengthening national laws to tackle domestic violence and gender inequalities and eliminate all forms of discrimination against women.
Peru and the Philippines, respectively, recommended that Grenada continue developing actions that fully implement national legislation to end violence against women and strengthen measures to combat gender-based violence against women and children, including by instituting criminal penalties for sexual harassment, improving access to justice, and ensuring the speedy resolution of gender-based-violence cases.
SOURCE: Jamaica Gleaner, 9 May 2025