THE EDITOR, Sir:
I WRITE to support the views expressed by 'A Jamaican Male' in a letter published on Monday.
I write this letter assuming that what I have heard is true that someone who had access to pictures, privately taken, of a young woman, circulated them with bad intent on the Internet identifying a prominent enterprise in Jamaica as her place of work.
It is also rumoured that her employer, rather than seeking to protect her, has further victimised her by either firing her or extracting from her a resignation. If the latter is true it must go down as one of the lowest acts in the history of industrial relations in Jamaica. If the rumours are untrue, then the company which is alleged to be involved needs to clear the air. If it does not, all well- thinking Jamaicans should consider moving their business elsewhere.
With today's technologies it is not difficult to obtain pictures of a compromising nature with or without the consent of the person filmed. The implications of this case for the future are enormous.
Like 'A Jamaican Male' I do not believe that this matter should be allowed to simply drop. We need a mature investigative journalist to get the facts of this case in a manner that defends the best interest of the person involved without any resort to sensationalisation.
To the person involved I would suggest that she seeks the best legal advice as to whether she has been wrongfully dismissed; even if she signed a resignation, the question of duress may arise.
There are many of us who are deeply hurt by the story that we have heard and hope that the worst elements are not true. Too often women in our society who are victimised become double victims based on bias, double-standards and 'hierocracy' that more often than not place blame on the victim for her suffering.
I am, etc.,
MARK FIGUEROA
26 West Road
University of the West Indies
Mona, Kingston 7
