- File
New female police recruits hug each other in glee following graduation.
Glenda Simms, Contributor
UNDER THE heading 'Crime Taming the Beast', carried in the Sunday Gleaner, writer Omar Anderson reported that "frequent cases of sexual advances by male members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force towards their female counterparts have caused demotivation among some police women".
Apparently some of these women are frustrated to the point where they are "contemplating resignation" in order to escape the sexual harassment that they are experiencing in the police force.
The seriousness of this state of affairs was underscored by the writer's assertion that Dr. Vivian Panton, the chaplain of the JCF is aware of the stress and pressure that sexual harassment is having on the women.
What is most distressing for all decent law abiding citizens of both genders is that the chaplain has conceded that this state of affairs cannot be "stamped out" because "female cops who resist sexual advances are assigned difficult tasks".
POWER RELATIONSHIPS
In other words, when such women take a stance against oppression, repression, discrimination and the erosion of their dignity and human rights, they are punished by the use of the established power play of the patriarch and the 'plantation boss'.
It is within this context that we must take seriously Dr. Panton's point of view that it is the "senior persons who abuse the juniors".
This power relationship is the crux of our continuing struggle against the generalised disrespect for women and girls in the Jamaican society.
While we agonise over the fact that today's young police women are afraid to report instances of sexual harassment that they endure on a day to day basis, we must find ways to ensure that every worker has the democratic right to be free from all forms of discrimination at the workplace.
There are far too many workers who know of someone who was victimised, ostracised or fired because he or she dared to speak out about the many indignities that they experience in the world of work.
It is in this vein that Dr. Panton underscored the fact that sexual harassment is a feature of many other institutions, therefore the Jamaica Constabulary Force must not be seen as an exception.
PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOUR
Volume 10 of the Sistren Magazine published in 1988 highlighted how women "juggled the odds" at work.
One of the many issues that this theatre collective addressed in their article was that of sexual harassment in the workplace.
The writers of the article described the unwelcome sexual advances made to women in all walks of life. They recorded for us the experience of a bank worker who had to work in a poisoned environment created by the smutty and demeaning sexual remarks of a member of her institutions' top management.
When a complaint was made against this boss, the worker was punished. According to the article, the unhealthy climate resulted in the involvement of the union and the aggrieved worker was able to hold on to her job.
This positive outcome was linked to the fact that the woman in question was determined to stand up to her harasser.
It is not very easy for one individual to challenge the established patterns of behaviour in any institution.
In most Westernized societies there is a deep-seated cultural veil that protects men in high positions in all sectors. It is behind this veil that the intersection of race, class and gender create a formidable force that resists any attempt to change the gender relations in both the public and private spheres.
Against this background, many unwelcome and soul destroying behaviours are largely ignored, glossed over or rationalised. After all, 'woman know seh a suh man stay' and 'dat a nuh any big deal'.
Obviously sexual harassment in the JCF has been put on the front burner. So it now has to be a 'big deal'.
Recently ACP Novelette Grant was a member on a segment of the Breakfast Club. On this occasion, Ms. Grant spoke of the current efforts to strengthen the competencies of the force and to move the standards to a higher level.
What has to be emphasised by the women who have some degree of power within the police force is that this higher level has to be more than retooling to become superintendents, commissioners or other ranks within the high command.
Competencies in this age must also be based on personal integrity and on moral and ethical value systems that direct the actions of all personnel in such an important institution.
A history of sexual harassment, carnal abuse, corruption and bad behaviours of a sexual and social nature at the level of the community and within the ranks should be factored into the profile and eligibility of those who aspire to leadership and they should not be allowed to become leaders if they are found to be guilty of such crimes.
In the same vein, police officers who are known wife-beaters and spouse-batterers should be exposed.
This does not mean that these standards should be reserved for the police force. But policemen and women are expected to exemplify decency because every citizen depends on them for protection from the multi-faceted ills of the society.
Within this context the police force must not be afforded the misguided view that behaviours deemed to be sexually harassing by policewomen are trivial or amusing.
There has to be a realisation at the highest levels that a sexual harassing environment is a threat to productivity, good governance, the application of justice and to the positive self-esteem that is key to the success of every police officer (men as well as women).
Glenda Simms is executive director of the Bureau of Women's Affairs.
