GGMC supervisor sends nude photos to female colleague – police investigating sexual harassment claims

Jun 03, 2018 News

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The police are investigating a case of sexual harassment made by a female staffer of the Guyana
Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
The case has been generating concerns at the commission with the male supervisor accused of sending naked photos of himself to the woman.
When she refused his sexual advances, the woman claimed that she was targeted and harassed at her job in the ensuing months.
She even had to apologise to him, after out of concern, she showed the nude photos to a colleague.
The matter has even ended up with the non-governmental organization for abuse, Red Thread.
While the woman has declined to comment over the weekend, officials familiar with the matter confirmed that the police are investigating.
The woman, said to be in her 40s, reportedly started working at GGMC, Brickdam in 2013 or 2014 and was shifted between locations of the commission.
The woman is claiming that in September 2015, she was addressing her supervisor when he started to make sexual remarks to her.
“(He)…began to make sexual remarks towards me saying I am a nice big woman and since I started working here, he was admiring me, he then asked me to have an intimate relationship with him.”
In statements, the alleged victim said that after resisting the superior, he assured her that he had been intimate with other “big women” at GGMC and the relationships had remained secret.
The man, in his 30s, invited the worker to view a movie on his phone. She refused. He then told her that he had sent something on her phone and she should enjoy.
When the female worker checked her phone, she discovered naked photos of the supervisor, one with him in the shower, in his full glory.
The matter was reported to GGMC’s management and after little action, later to Red Thread.
Red Thread contacted Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman.
During a meeting with the woman and representatives of GGMC management, including from the Human Resource Department, they were told to apologise to each other. The woman was also asked not to show the photos to her work colleagues.
According to the claims of the woman, while the sexual advances stopped, it did not halt the sexual remarks that were thrown her way by the man.
The female said she even felt targeted as on some nights when she was stationed at the back gate of GGMC, Brickdam, where the place was dark, the supervisor would “sneak” up on her.
The woman was able to determine that it was only her that was being “checked”.
In August, the supervisor allegedly came and told the woman he dreamt her and that she gave him a “hell of a time” in the dream. He made suggestive motions with his tongue to indicate how enjoyable the dream was.
In November, the woman, who said she had told her husband of the “harassment”, claimed that the supervisor made sexual remarks of her clothing.
Management allegedly told her to “ignore” him.
The woman believes that because of her rebuff of the sexual advance by the supervisor, and his connections to some senior management staffers, she is being targeted.
The matter came to a head in November when the female worker filled out her leave application and ticked several boxes of varying times for those leave.
The supervisor reportedly threatened to deal with her.
In December, the woman was asked to explain why she should not be disciplined over the matter.
In January, the worker was interviewed by a senior management official over the sexual harassment claims.
She did not hear back on the matter until late April when she received a letter from GGMC to report to the CID headquarters, Eve Leary regarding the harassment.
She did visit the CID headquarters and gave a statement on May 2, last.
With a “me-too” movement of abused victims now sweeping the US, touching celebrities and even President Donald Trump, there appears to be similar activism in Guyana,.
For years, abuse at home and at work places in Guyana has been largely a taboo subject with persons treating it as no big deal.
However, persons have been coming forward now.
Last week, Kaieteur News reported a shocking case where a mom of four who lost her abusive husband to suicide, went to the National Insurance Scheme claiming survivors’ benefits.
For more than year, she was promised by a worker there that her case was being looked at. He was allegedly harassing her, asking for a relationship, even taking her to lunch to complete some paper works.
It appeared, from the woman’s claims, that the man was grooming her for sex.
The matter unraveled after the NIS staffer was on leave and the woman went to enquire into her matter.
To her horror, she was told her matter was far from being resolved and that little had been done.
-If you believe that you have been harassed and abused and have evidence, whether it be from a colleague at work or from a Government office, please do contact us on 225-8491.

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