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Sexual Harassment in Trinidad & Tobago - Page 14

Korrect you think shouting out "yuh nice", "yuh sexy" and other sitations is talking WITH women? You just as bad as the rest of them yes.

Tobago and Trinidad Harassment Sexual

Name: Miss

Comments: I am a teacher in the Government service. I have been a victim of sexual harassment at the hands of my Principal fro the past seven years. I have complained to my employer through eight different school supervisors in The Ministry fo Education - nothing has been done.After no real assistance from the Teachers Union I opted to hire my own lawyer. The Minister of Education app a special unit to deal with the matter. This special unit supposedly conducted an investigation via a School Supervisor who is also a former member of T.U.T.T.A and a friend of the Principal. His report based on a 25 minute interview with me and the V. Principal was,needless to say , biased and barely scratched the surface of the case at hand.In a few lines he told the special unit that he found no evidence of Sexual Harassment and closed the case.

The Special Unit then wrote my lawyer regurgitating the report from the schools supervisor and added that I was at fault and only recently made up these complaints - despite the fact that there is a paper trail that dates back to 2002.The Principal has threatened my job if I do not give in to his demands.Presently he has written to the M.O.E indicating to them that he no longer has need for my services at the Secondary school in Couva. He has continued to over load my work quota which includes forcing me to teach subjects according to Teaching Regulations I am not supposed to teach.Ridiculous deadlines are imposed for marking scripts at the end of the term despite the fact that I carry twice the load of other senior teachers ,and take home half their pay.He has scratched my signature out of the school's register and mark me absent when I am in school. He has his friends on staff spy on my classes while I am teaching as well as threaten my students.Despite the fact that I have only been intervied by the Service Commission of Trinidad and Tobago to teach one subject at the secondary level, I have been forced for seven years to teach three.

I have never been compensated for this extra work. The Ministry remained silent even after all of my written complaints. Letters of complaints have disappeared from the Ministry of Education Camden Couva Office. I now resort to sending letters of complaint to the Permanent Secretary via post.My leave forms and other confidential official documents have been discarded in bins about the school and my payslip given to other members of staff and thrown on the ground of the staff room. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

After the recent letter from e special unit from the Ministry of Education stipulating that they found no evidence of sexual harrassment, the Principal and his money Clerk III officer boasts that I have lost and no Minister in the Ministry can save me from them.In the mean while alcohol is still being purchased with school funds and consumed on the school compound. Orgies take place in the evenings after school as the wives of some teachers are swapped for special monetary kickbacks and relief from teaching duties. Many parents have complained about the particular physics teacher not attending class even though she is in school and nothing has been done by the principal. Instead she spends her 'free' time sleeping in the Principal's office..

The supervisor in question dealing with the matter has made the statement that he "will not help anybody lose their pension" in reference to the Principal who has 38 years of service. I am appealing for help in this matter and have considered approaching international organizations for assistance since everything and everyone in this country seems to be corrupt.

Sexual Harassment in Trinidad & Tobago Caribbean / Tobago & Trinidad

Wow, Miss what you describe is absolutely disturbing! I'm sorry to hear about what you are going through. Why did you put up with this situation for the past seven years? It seems to me that the wrong people handled this matter. In my opinion, you have the following choices:

1. Contact TUTTA directors to deal with the matter.

2. Contact the Media if you don't mind your name to be published.

3. Ask for a transfer immediately. (The Ministry does it very often)

4. Contact the police IF you're able to prove your claims.

Page 14 Tobago and Trinidad Harassment Sexual

Name: Teacher

Comments: Dear Miss,

I am a teacher in the Government service presently.I have done many programmes in the field of education, have completed my BEd. And also my Masters in education.I am not yet a principal.

I have had a similar experience in the teaching service.Although the principal of the school did not tell me anything with sexual connations, he made my life in the school system a living hell.

He fabricated situations and wrote it in the log book, then I was asked to sign it. Of course , I always refused to sign it, then he would call the most senior teacher in the school to witness and sign.I am well aware of the contents of the circular memorandum # 42 which clearly defines the use of the log book.

At test time he would always find faults with my papers. For example. If I write an addition sum with lets say 12 and 46, he will always say to change it and put 15 and 43. If I write 15 and 43 he would always require me to change it. Although nothing is wrong with the question, he always found faults with every test paper that he thought that I had prepared. I was a little wiser than him and I had other teachers set the test paper for me. I would submit it and he will still find faults with it. If the same questions were submitted by another teacher there was no corrections to the questions. I knew that I was being victimized and set up to the maximum, but I always prayed to my God and I know that one day I will get justice.

Anytime I had to speak to this principal for any matter I had to walk with a teacher, or else I cannot enter the office. In fact the office area was out of bounds for me.
This kind of victimization went on for more than five years and I had sent in more than Fifty five requests for transfers, but to no appeal, I continued to suffer high levels of stress and other disorders until my doctor advised me to get another job.
This is only the tip of the iceberg to measure the levels of pain and suffering that I went through as a teacher, cannot be measured. As I share this few lines of my experiences with you it brings me to tears because it is so unfortunate that a teacher can suffer so much and the Ministry drags their feet on these issues.

In the midst of my difficulties, I was blessed to have found a supervisor whose integrity was unquestionable. She investigated the matter on numerous occasions and found nothing wrong with me or the work that I did in the school.She did not hesitate to have meetings with the principal and parents to let them know that she found nothing wrong with me or my work as a teacher.The principal however was not pleased with her findings and reported the matter to higher authorities. They responded and after further investigations, for a long period, they still did not find anything wrong with me.They realised that the old saying that when the fox can't get the grapes he always say that it is sour. In this case every effort was made to destroy it.

Unfortunately, that during all of these investigations I was driving my car and I crashed. My child was with me and was badly injured. The school supervisor was the kindest person to me in the ministry. The principal added more pressure to me because he felt that I would crumble at this time. But he was so wrong, because I always prayed to my God and I Know that my God is not sleeping. I got strength and the willpower to continue on my journey of life.

I was eventually transferred from the school because I personally took the mater to the then Minister of education, Hon. Kamla Persad Bisessar. I spoke to her and she told me that she would investigate the matter. She did and I was granted a transfer from the school.

If I believed that it ended there I was so mistaken. The principal did not leave me alone in his quest to destroy me. He ensured that the principal of my present school continues his dirty work for him. One school day I saw him at my school. He visited my present principal and spent almost the entire day in the school with the principal. After that my principal's attitude changed towards me. He insults me in front of teachers and finds faults with everything that I do. I even have to walk with a teacher before I could speak to him. I am re-living history presently, but I really hope that I don't have another accident.I an not at liberty to speak about this present situation, but in my heart I know that hell will not even have a place for the both principals when the time comes.

My dear, please have faith in the God you serve. His work is slow but very sure,and one day you will live to get the justice you deserve. Be strong and steadfast in your belief and you will be blessed.

Tobago and Trinidad Harassment Sexual

I think the level of harassment of us is more hidden that exposed. Sure you get the men who whistle or talk to you while you're walking but the worst kind are the ones threatening their girlfriends to do what they want or else. Trini men pick the violence card quick.

Sexual Harassment in Trinidad & Tobago

There are some workers in the yard doing renovations to part of the building we are in and their comments about every woman that passes by is the crudest ever. Many men in Trinidad have no respect for themselves how can they have it for the woman of the country.

Sexual Harassment Trinidad & Tobago - Page 14

This is something that I remember happening while growing up. Some Trinidadian men, especially the ones liming on the street, feel it is their right to hail out every skirt that passes by them. How will they feel if it was the opposite and fellas like them were hailing out their mother or their sister.

Sexual Harassment Trinidad & Tobago Trinidad & Tobago / Caribbean - Page 14

Unfortunately, that is the sad culture we live in. Disrespect for everyone including our own women shows the level of lowlife that frequents the places we have to pass each day.