I know some of this stems from years and years of nothing happening. Now that their is more of a focus on pedophilic sexual offenders we are hearing more stories. IMO this doesn't mean that their is an increase in pedophilic sexual offenders. I believe what is happening is that it is coming to light, more. I believe this has been a problem for generations and is ingrained into some cultures. I appreciate that their are media outlets that are getting the word out. Children need to be protected and I hope this trend of protecting children continues. Rosie
BY INGRID BROWN Associate editor — special assignment browni@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, May 06, 2012
THE majority of the sexual abuse cases investigated by the Office of the
Children's Advocate (OCA) are committed in the nation's schools where
more teachers and coaches are being implicated in this horrendous crime
against the children who have been entrusted to their care.
Children's Advocate Diahann Gordon Harrison said the highest number of
complaints received by the OCA come from high schools and, to a lesser
extent, primary institutions.
The OCA is mandated to investigate any reports of child abuse which occur in a public institution.
"I have been seeing a number of cases involving teachers being reported,
and although we treat with all relevant authorities, such as children's
homes, places of safety, juvenile facilities, hospitals, clinics, etc,
our highest customer since I have taken office (in January 2012) is the
schools," Gordon Harrison told the Jamaica Observer.
Statistics from the Office of the Children's Registry (OCR), which acts
as a clearing house for reports of abuse against children, reveal that
139 cases of sexual offences were alleged to have occurred on a school
compound last year, up from the 91 reports received in 2010.
There is, however, no breakdown as to how many of these incidents
involved teachers as opposed to other staff employed to the schools.
Gordon Harrison said some of these cases also involve coaches, lab technicians and other persons employed to the schools.
While the reports are not confined to the Corporate Area and St Catherine, the Children's Advocate said these two areas feature most prominently in the number of incidents.
While the reports are not confined to the Corporate Area and St Catherine, the Children's Advocate said these two areas feature most prominently in the number of incidents.
Gordon Harrison, a former deputy director of public prosecutions, said
it was only two weeks ago that her office successfully investigated a
matter in which a teacher at a Kingston high school was said to be
molesting several students in his class, as well as those to whom he
gave extra lessons.
Based on the OCA's recommendation to the school board, Gordon Harrison said a decision was taken to dismiss the teacher.
"Our position is that even if the teacher has done penance and has
promised he won't do it again, it is dangerous and certainly not
consistent with maintaining and preserving the protection of our
children, and certainly their best interest, to have someone around in a
school where other children could become prey," she said.
Meanwhile, the children's advocate said not all cases in these schools
are easy to investigate as her office is sometimes met with silence by
colleagues of the offenders.
"We go in to start an investigation and you are railroaded with silence
because sometimes there are roadblocks where someone on the faculty
knows about it but is not willing to speak because it is their
colleague," she said.
It is this silence which sometimes delays the investigative process and
results in many of these matters not getting to the police.
Head of the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse
(CISOCA), Superintendent Gladys Brown-Campbell said her office has not
yet seen a high number of cases involving teachers, but has received
several involving coaches.
In the meantime, the children's advocate said her office is moving as
fast as it can to complete these investigations but is often overwhelmed
by the numbers.
"It is a worrying trend and it is something that is quite unfortunate
because teachers are persons who our children spend most of the days
with, and they are persons who we entrust our children to their care and
expect them to be exposing their minds to very positive things, so when
you have teachers who are not doing as they really should be doing then
there is certainly cause for concern," she said.
Gordon Harrison also said her office will be employing strategies to
treat head-on all concerns of sex in school, such as same-sex acts and
seniors performing horrendous sex acts on junior students.
As such, she said, her office has initiated dialogue with Education
Minister Ronald Thwaites who has been very open to meeting to address
the issues.
"We have to deal with the incidents reported to us, but that is reactive
and cannot work alone, so proactive solutions will have to be found
with various persons who have a stake in what is happening," she said.
She also supported the minister's recommendations for teachers to be licensed and for checks to be done as to their antecedents.
Thwaites' recommendations came against an April 29 Sunday Observer story
which highlighted the case of a teacher who remained in the classroom
after he was convicted of indecent assault of an eighth grade student at
the school where he taught for 17 years.
The teacher, who was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, suspended for
three years, had continued teaching for two years at the school because
both the school board and the Ministry of Education failed to take
action against him.
Following the article, the education minister intervened and the school board immediately suspended the teacher.
The children's advocate said the minister's recommendations are excellent.
"I know there might be some resistance in some quarters and
understandably so because teachers are moving from a position of
security of tenure to this constant review, but I think that the state
of Jamaica today, and certainly the reports we have been getting from
our end, warrant that this kind of searchlight be turned on to ensure
that only the most suitable and appropriate are interfacing with our
children," she said.
This legislation is one her office is anxiously awaiting as Gordon
Harrison said this will ensure that teachers will not infringe on the
rights of children.
President of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA), Paul Adams, said
the association will be reviewing its guidelines with a view to
providing the necessary guidance and support to school administrations
in addressing this issue.
According to Adams, the OCA has never shared its concerns or solicited
the JTA's support with the challenge it faces in getting teachers to
offer information against their colleagues who have been implicated.
"We would be happy to have the children's advocate furnish us with the
challenges that they have so that we could collaborate with them in
order to remove the challenges that they have indicated," he told the
Sunday Observer.
Asked whether the JTA has taken action against such perpetrators, Adams
said the association will not share with the public the necessary action
taken against its members.
"All I will say is that from time to time we have had to take action to protect the profession and education system," he said.
Meanwhile, Adams said he is of the impression that there has been an increase in the reporting incidents.
"I am not sure if it is an increase in incidents and I hope not, but if
there is an increase in one case it is of equally great concern to us,"
he said.
Immediate past president of the Association of Principals and Vice
Principals Wentworth Gabbidon said the association has been receiving
reports of teachers abusing children and this is of great concern to
school administrators. As such, he said this issue will be on the agenda
at the next annual retreat in October.
As it relates to licensing of teachers, he said the association is
putting together a response and this will be presented in a document in
the near future.
"But in terms of my personal feelings as it relates to persons who
commit such heinous crimes they should be made to feel the consequences
of their action and the full weight of the law should be thrown at
them," he said.
Gabbidon, who is also principal of Albert Town High in Trelawny, said if
a teacher has been convicted of a sexual abuse, he/she should never be
allowed to teach again.
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