Was Chuck all wrong?
Cabinet Minister and senior member of the Jamaican Parliament Delroy Chuck continues to feel the heat arising from his freedom of expression during a joint sitting of a parliamentary committee over a week ago.
Chuck’s comments in respect of the #Metoo movement in the United States, and his support for the proposal that complaints related to sexual harassment ought to be reported, in, say, no longer than a year after they were alleged to have happened, have caused a major furore, some even calling for his head to be placed on the chopping block.
But, is there anything that Chuck said from that presentation that could be taken seriously?
The chuckle that was attached to Chuck’s remarks was not the wisest gesture, as the move may have suggested that he was being insensitive, and trivialising a matter that is hugely serious in a country like this.
Chuck has apologised a record three times to those who were offended, meaning that he genuinely regrets his conduct. The Delroy Chuck that
I know would not consciously make fun of a serious matter such as this.
And while there may be issues surrounding women, or men for that matter, reporting incidents of sexual harassment, the real issue is that we really need to change the culture of silence that exists among ourselves.
When an individual takes 10, 20, or 30 years to report something that happened to him or her, too many questions arise, and remembering what happened is not always easy. What needs to be done is for a clandestine national thrust, administered by the Church, to be established, whereby those who are victims could come forward right after an “act” has been committed, so that there is a freshness that goes with the matter.
Now, I know that some out there will argue that people are afraid, ashamed, etc to report these matters. But that’s the point of establishing this national thrust — so that people would find it easier to step forward and put their experiences on the table.