The Executive Director of the National Centre for Legal Aid and Human Rights, Mary Francis, has expressed concern over allegations of sexual harassment in the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF).
Reports indicate that the allegations are against a senior police officer.
The President of the Police Welfare Association (PWA), Camron Laure, recently called for an independent inquiry.
And Mary Francis supports the call.
“I was taken aback to an extent, yet I was not too surprised,” Francis said regarding the sexual harassment allegations.
However, the outspoken Human Rights advocate said it was surprising that there had been no probe, although the PWA had brought the matter to the then-Police Commissioner, Crusita Descartes-Pelius.
She declared it a severe indictment against the RSLPF, charged with prosecuting criminal offences.
The Attorney at Law also observed that the Labour Code makes sexual harassment a human rights issue.
She found it strange that the RSLPF has no sexual harassment policy.
And Francis declared that an internal inquiry should commence on receipt of sexual harassment allegations, and depending on the outcome, there should be a prosecution.
“If police officers are denied justice within their own workforce, what about the average citizen?” She told St. Lucia Times.
“The culture of impunity in the police force is not going away at all,” Francis lamented.
She declared that the police seem to ignore misconduct and criminal acts within their ranks.
The Attorney told St. Lucia Times that she had lodged cases with the Police Complaints Unit on behalf of her clients.
“In three cases, I was told the Complaints Unit had done their work and sent it to the Commissioner’s desk for action,” Francis recalled.
But she said two years and three Police Commissioners later, Severin Moncherry, Milton Desir, and Crusita Descartes-Pelius, no one has acted on the recommendations.
“That’s our society. Everything is like a joke. We are not serious about the rule of law in Saint Lucia,” Francis asserted, adding that Saint Lucia is a lawless society.
She told St. Lucia Times that the IMPACS report highlighted the culture of police impunity.
“Eleven years and nothing has been done,” Francis said.
Any primary school child knows that if you agree to go out with a man, he will want your “sugar apple,” Police women are naïve to believe that they can agree to go out with a man and don’t deliver the goods. If you have no intention of delivering the goods, then don’t go out with a man that is not your man. And don’t accept gifts from him either. To agree to secretly go out with a man, then afterwards cry foul, is stupidity and malice, not sexual harassment.
IS THAT SOMETHING NEW ? CAMERON LAURE & MARY EYES DARK ASKING FOR Q .
There happens to be something called date rape. There is also marital rape. Going out with someone doesn’t mean you are consenting to sex. That is why not so long ago parents insisted that they met the guy you were going out with. To keep the young girl safe in case the man decided to try anything. He knew your parents would know who to look for. The first comment is really crazy. If you are a man, are you expecting sex from every young lady you take out to dinner? Sick thinking.
There is actually something called date rape. Agreeing to go to dinner with a man does not mean a woman has agreed to sex. Quite a few Lucian men think that way. I guess that is why my parents always insisted they met the young man before I went out with him. That kept him in line.
Seinfeld you are old time-ish and old fashion. You belong to the stone age. A dinner for two could reach close to $500.00. I will not just take any woman for dinner. It must be a woman that I have a good chance of getting close to.
Aye aye deathly silence from Catherine. No more raising your voice when you are political harlot.
@Anonymous, of course you wouldn’t take a woman out if you didn’t think she was a potential love interest. My issue is there are men who think sex must follow dinner. To them it isn’t about going out to get to know someone better. A woman might be interested in you but not ready for a physical relationship and forcing her into one on a date is called rape. Is this why several women have gone missing in St. Lucia then turned up dead? Date rape then murder? Women take note.
Those men that think taking a woman out for dinner or a few drinks means sleeping with her without her consent need to be taught a lesson they’ll never forget in a hurry shameless he goats ,that call them self men.
For the person who wrote the first comment there’s something called friendship amount coworkers I guess u never heard of it
There is the civilized and the uncivilized. The behavior one exhibits will determine the former or the latter.
What sexual harassment Mary is talking about. This matter is way more serious. The allegations are of a criminal nature and one that would have by now landed any one of us from the public into police custody. So why protect a senior police officer who could not hear no and accept it. And is it a habitual thing for this officer since there are at least two of those serious accusations. But instead the SLP request an investigation, they are busy trying to bury it because the one who had no control of his wood is their supporter. You think that is right that every time I see my boss all that comes to my mind is that he is a RRRRRRRR. I therefore agree with Mary that the matter should be investigated and the perpetrator punished if proven true. But is that how it is done when we the males in the savan are reported for rape. No! We are arrested, females taken for medical examination and then we are charged. So why not do the same for that police officer since two of the officers were medically examined. Let the court decide his guilt or innocence. Stop treating the female victims as if they committed a crime. And if that senior officer had any shame he would not be on out TV talking shate. He would have resigned of taken leave or government would have moved him to another department other then the position he currently occupies. And for the three past commissioners – shame on them for attempting to cover up those allegations and shaming the victims to submission. I hope their actions or lack thereof catches up with them sooner or later.