Government was last night applauded for scrapping a "silly and offensive'' law rooted in Bermuda's slavery days.

Ken Spurling, chairman of the Commission for Unity and Racial Equality, said the offence of wandering abroad had no place in any society.

And he said CURE fully supported Government's decision to abolish the insensitive offence.

Last Friday the House of Assembly passed the Summary Offences Amendment Act repealing the offence of wandering abroad, which now relates to homeless people on the streets.

However the law was originally put on the statute books in 1926 and has its history linked to Bermuda's slaveholding past when it was an offence for slaves to wander off.

It is now also in contravention of international conventions governing human rights, as well as the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

"We have some older laws in Bermuda and this was one of them, but it is offensive and insensitive,'' said Mr. Spurling. "So the Minister felt it was appropriate to take it off the books. It was totally useless.

"Ministers are always looking at the laws which affect their Ministry and if they see something that is offensive they take it off the books.

"CURE supports any initiative of this order and the abolition of any laws that are insensitive to the fact that all people have an equal opportunity in Bermuda.'' The repeal was introduced in the House of Assembly by Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness who said homelessness was a social problem and not one for the courts. He said there were other agencies helping the homeless, such as the Salvation Army.

"It is an outmoded concept in today's world, a legacy from the days of slavery when it was an offence to be caught wandering,'' he said. "There has always been a negative element to this with our black population.'' Education and Human Affairs Minister Jerome Dill was chairman of a Cabinet Committee formed to put in place reforms of the criminal justice system.

He asked CURE to look into wandering abroad and laws which appeared to discriminate on the basis of race and announced last October that Government would be putting forward legislation scrapping the offfence.

HOMELESS HSG