BVI MPs Attend 68th Cpa Conference; Speaker
House of Assembly Speaker Honourable Corine George-Massicote and Opposition Member Honourable Melvin M. Turnbull (R2) were among Virgin Islands parliamentarians who attended the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference in Bridgetown, Barbados, from October 5 to 12, 2025 (Guavaberry; VINO). At the conference the Speaker led a workshop, “Debate Not Hate: Not Accepting Abuse as an Outcome of Free Speech,” calling for a multi-faceted response to technology-facilitated violence against women in leadership and urging parliaments to pursue stronger cyber protections and support systems (Guavaberry).
House of Assembly Speaker Honourable Corine George-Massicote and Opposition Member Honourable Melvin M. Turnbull (R2) were among a delegation of Virgin Islands parliamentarians who attended the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Conference in Bridgetown, Barbados, from October 5 to 12, 2025 (Guavaberry; VINO).
One of the highlights for the Virgin Islands delegation was Speaker George-Massicote’s role as discussion leader in a workshop titled “Debate Not Hate: Not Accepting Abuse as an Outcome of Free Speech.” In her remarks she emphasised the urgent need to confront technology-facilitated violence, particularly its impact on women in leadership, stressing that online abuse has real-world consequences for safety and participation (Guavaberry). “Women often resign from leadership roles out of fear for their safety, and girls who witness online abuse directed at women leaders hesitate to enter public life.
As a result, societies lose the full benefit of women’s voices in shaping policy and progress,” the Speaker told workshop participants, underlining the political and social costs of unchecked online abuse (Guavaberry). To confront the problem, Honourable George-Massicote outlined a multi-faceted approach.
She called first for empowering women through digital literacy, privacy tools and support networks so online safety becomes part of equal participation. Second, she urged updating legal frameworks to recognise the gendered nature of online abuse and to overcome jurisdictional barriers that impede effective enforcement.
Third, she advocated restoring control to survivors and amplifying their voices, and finally she said parliaments and women’s caucuses must keep technology-facilitated violence high on national agendas, push for stronger cyber laws and enforcement, hold social media platforms accountable, and provide resources for victim support and training for women MPs and public figures (Guavaberry; VINO).
Opposition Member Honourable Melvin Turnbull reflected on the conference opening ceremony, noting he stood alongside the Speaker and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley for a powerful welcome address. He said Prime Minister Mottley urged parliaments and international organisations — including the United Nations — to pay close attention to global developments and reminded small island nations of the need to unite, build on shared strengths, and create the wealth and resilience their people deserve (Guavaberry).
For BVI residents the discussions highlighted practical challenges for small jurisdictions: cross-border jurisdictional hurdles, limited local resources for victim support, and the need for targeted training for public officials and women in leadership. Conference outcomes were presented as offering a framework the House of Assembly can use to consider stronger cyber protections, digital literacy initiatives and support systems to protect and encourage women’s participation in public life (VINO).
According to Virgin Islands News Online, the delegation returned having strengthened commitments to these priorities and to ongoing engagement with Commonwealth partners, signalling that the ideas discussed in Bridgetown could inform local policy and parliamentary action in the months ahead (VINO).
Primary source: VINO