NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC) — The Bahamas government says it does not agree with some of the observations outlined in a report by the 2014 United States Human Rights Report, saying Nassau has no “official policy of discrimination against anyone whether they are Bahamian or foreign”.

“The Bahamas is an open and transparent country and any entity, including foreign governments, is free to make whatever observations they wish about our systems and practices. We have nothing to hide. The fact is there is no policy by the government which sanctions abuse against any individual, whether the person is a Bahamian or a foreigner,” the government said in a brief statement.

On Thursday, US Secretary of State John Kerry released the 2014 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (HRRs) that the holder of the office is required by law to provide to Congress every year.

According to Washington, the Secretary of State is required to make available “a full and complete report regarding the status of internationally recognised human rights”.

US officials say these reports provide information that helps the US Congress, Executive Branch, and courts in making decisions where accurate information on human rights conditions is critical. It also supports the work of human rights advocates, lawmakers, scholars, multilateral institutions, and other governments.

In its report on the Bahamas, the report noted that “the most serious human rights problems were police abuse; mistreatment of irregular migrants (compounded by problems in processing them); and an inefficient judicial system, resulting in trial delays and an increase in retaliatory crime against both witnesses and alleged perpetrators.

“Other human rights problems included substandard detention conditions; corruption; violence and discrimination against women; sexual abuse of children; and discrimination based on ethnic descent, sexual orientation, or HIV status,” the report noted.

The report notes that prison and detention centre conditions failed to meet international standards in some areas, and conditions at the government’s only prison remained harsh due to overcrowding.

But the report noted an improvement in prison sanitation and that new correctional services legislation, which entered into force in August, renamed Her Majesty’s Prison ‘The Bahamas Department of Correctional Services’ (DCS).

Washington reported that human rights organisations have complained that the government did not consistently grant requests by independent human rights observers for access to the DCS, Carmichael Road Detention Centre, and the two juvenile centres.

“The government maintained additional bureaucratic procedures for some civil society organisations to gain access to the detention centre, making it difficult to visit detainees on a regular basis. These groups generally operated with independence from the government,” the report noted.

But in its brief statement, the Perry Christie government said that there is no official policy of discrimination against anyone, whether they are Bahamian or foreign.