Ps’ principal victim blaming’
media, instead of saying to your students, ‘I’m proud of you for coming forward,’ ‘I support you,’ you castigate them for doing that?” Harry questioned.
“I can’t say that I’m completely surprised because stuff like this has been happening for ages… when I was going to school I had friends who had experiences; you knew the teachers who were involved with students, it was talked about but nothing was ever done… So I can’t say that I’m surprised but what I’m happy about is that it is now being exposed and I hope this means that there would be a change in the way we handle these things…,” Mosa Telford stated, while adding that she hopes something comes of the matter and it is not swept under the carpet like has been done with other issues.
Cynthia Massay, the administrator of the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre and a past student of The Bishops’ High School, made a brief stop to observe the demonstration.
“I really find there’s a typical thing of shaming and blaming the victim…. Why blame the victim?” Massay asked. “I agree that we should not kind of pass judgement until you do a proper investigation and you get all the facts, but what she said is totally, totally out of place. You don’t blame the victim.”
Massay related that while she is not sure resigning is the answer in this case, she believes Ellis should certainly be disciplined.
Activist Nicole Cole, who was also on the picket line, felt that Ellis should go. “We’ve got to do better in this society. We have to name and shame even those who are condoning the abuse. She should no longer be in the realm whereby she is the headmistress for any school. She is unfit and improper…,” she said.
Commenting on the way the report of the allegations was made, quite publicly on social media, protestor Don Singh opined that the process would take much longer if people were to wait on the school administration to see and to act.
The protest will continue again at midday today and it is expected to continue until some action is taken.