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Sunday 16th October 2022 was supposed to be a celebration of another birthday and life itself. Instead I was involved in a horrific car accident.

I was travelling on a road in Burbon in the parish of St Lucy in Barbados. I had a passenger in the car who is a visitor from Poland but resides in Italy. As I was going around a bend, a vehicle suddenly appeared on my side of the road, travelling in the opposite direction at top speed.

I had seconds to avoid a head-on collision by pulling to the left to take evasive action. The other vehicle collided into the right side of mine before losing control and flipping onto its top in the ditch. My vehicle came to a stop by the edge of a deep gully, which would have made matters a lot worse if my vehicle had gone over the edge.

I sustained multiple injuries. Broken ribs, hematoma of the kidney, severe trauma to the hip and thema. I have also have multiple small cuts from the flying glass. My passenger sustained a blow to the forehead which resulted in a concussion, multiple small cuts and a puncture in pubic area. 

I later discovered that the other vehicle was involved in a high speed chase with the police. The driver and one other passenger fled the scene. The three remaining passengers were detained by the police. Guns, ammunition and drugs were allegedly found in their vehicle.

As a person who is renowned to be an outspoken advocate who is unafraid to tackle sensitive issues head on, Charles Lewis (Charlie Spice) was approached by a group of very distraught citizens of Barbados to become their spokesperson in their campaign to determine if there is legal standing to bring a class action lawsuit against the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and by extension the Government for breach of trust and the mismanagement and misappropriation of NIS funds.

If legal basis exists, this lawsuit would demand that the Board Of Directors of NIS provides the complainants with the following information.

1. Copies of verifiable accounts that show how much money was collected under the NIS program.
2. Copies of verifiable accounts that show how much money from the NIS funds was invested by the Government.
3. Full details of all investments made by the Government using NIS funds.
4. Copies of verifiable profit and loss statements of all investments made by the Government using NIS funds.
5. Verification that all decisions by the Government to invest NIS funds were made lawfully and constitutionally.

This class action will seek to obtain compensation for the financial, emotional, psychological and other damages suffered by claimants as a result of the actions of the Board Of Directors and the government of Barbados.

Lewis states, “The goal of this campaign is also to bring about reform of the NIS, particularly as it relates to the management of the funds in the future. There is clearly a need for independent oversight and more accountability with the management of the NIS funds.”

This civil legal action is unpresented in Barbados and perhaps the wider Caribbean, and could result in hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation. If there isn’t enough money to adequately compensate complainants this action would seek to leverage government property assets.

For far too long, the people of Barbados have been too passive and failed to stand up for their rights, particularly when it comes to government corruption, nepotism and poor governance of this country. This lack of self representation and preservation dates back to the days of slavery when our inability to unite and rise up against our oppressors has given us the reputation as the Perfect Slaves.

The devastating impact of the NIS crisis has become the catalyst for change.

Lewis says, “When I was first approached by this group of concerned citizens to be their spokesperson, my initial reaction was to turn down the offer. But I quickly realised that I would be doing a disservice to my country and my fellow citizens.

“My failure to accept this responsibility would be tantamount to engaging in the very same hypocrisy that I have vehemently spoken out against for many years in my advocacy campaigns. Therefore, I consider it my duty to represent the interest of anyone in Barbados who reaches out to me for help on any issue, irrespective of its political sensitivity.”

At this juncture, there is a need for an independent inquiry to determine if the decisions of the government to invest NIS funds were lawful, unlawful or incompetent. This in turn would determine if there is legal standing for a class action lawsuit.

There is an appeal to all citizens of Barbados who are directly affected by this NIS crisis to join this campaign by contacting Charles Lewis (Charlie Spice).

An Attorney has already been consulted for advice on this matter.

Government is missing out on millions of dollars in revenue from the sex trade industry which has grown here significantly in recent years, adult entertainment advocate Charles Charlie Spice Lewis has estimated.

Outlining the benefits of decriminalising sex work and developing a regulatory framework for the trade, Lewis said that ten years ago, he presented a research paper to the government of the day which showed the trade was generating in excess of $100 million at the time.

“I have got firsthand knowledge of a dramatic increase in the number of people entering sex work. The sex industry is here, it is vibrant, it is growing,” he said, contending that there has been an influx of sex workers since the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in the cost of living.

For more details, go to https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/07/29/govt-losing-millions-from-not-legalising-sex-trade/

Sex workers in Barbados are fearful of being attacked and abused while plying their trade and are not convinced that law enforcement officials are doing enough to protect them from criminal elements on the streets.

That’s according to President of the Global Adult Industry Association Charles Charlie Spice Lewis who said police should be encouraged to ramp up patrols in areas where sex workers are known to operate.

The comments came in the wake of 44-year-old Guyanese sex worker Caroline Baird being killed last Friday night.

“This has been very frustrating for me over the years because it’s already hard to get the authorities to give us an audience. But it’s very disheartening when my own people find it difficult to come together. But I think police should be encouraged to do more patrols in the areas where sex workers operate,” Lewis said.

For more details, go to https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/07/29/call-for-police-patrols-to-protect-sex-workers/

The sex trade has long been a conundrum for Barbados.

On one hand, sex workers and sex work are condemned and ridiculed in society but on the other, the so-called world’s oldest profession is practised seemingly without prejudice.

Whether or not we want to bury our heads in the sand on another taboo subject, sex work has been thriving in Barbados since European and Africans settled here almost four hundred years ago. In the 1700s Rachel Pringle Polgreen, a free mulatto, operated a “hotel” for the (sexual) entertainment of British Naval officers.

For more details, go to https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/07/27/bteditorial-solving-the-sex-trade-puzzle/

Barbadians who want sex work decriminalized here now have a chance to have their say on whether it becomes a reality.

Adult entertainment advocate Charles Charlie Spice Lewis, has started an online petition urging the Mia Mottley-led administration to decriminalize sex work in Barbados and all activities related to the industry with a view to protecting those involved in the trade, minimizing crimes against them and stemming the spread of sexually-transmitted infections.

https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/08/05/remove-the-stigma/

Decriminalising prostitution may not end attacks on sex workers.

However, founder and president of Adult Industry Association Charles “Charlie Spice” Lewis says a change in the law could be a deterrent, as well as produce several positive health and financial benefits for the country.

That is why he set out to get as many signatures as possible on the Decriminalising Sex Work In Barbados petition.

For more details, go to https://www.nationnews.com/2022/08/08/decriminalising-sex-work-right-step/