Jaevion Nelson | Protect children from abuse in schools

There is seemingly a grave problem in our education system that everyone kind of talks about, but don’t really talk about. So, you will hear stories about an educator, both male and female, who sexually abuses a student and had to leave a particular school, or on seemingly rare occasions (but more frequently these days), they are brought before the court to face charges.

The issue of child sexual abuse in our schools is, of course, not new. This has been a long-standing problem for many years. The stories are many; far more than reported in traditional and on social media. Thankfully, more is being done, these days, to protect our children and ensure that when they are violated, regardless of who initiated such contact, the perpetrators — that is, the adult — are brought to justice.

There is an aspect of child sexual abuse in our schools that we don’t talk about as much as we ought to. The educators who allegedly (or perhaps knowingly) commit such an offence and exploit the shame and silence we wallow in as a society, to avoid being held accountable. The only form of accountability they face is a reprimand by school administrators and an opportunity to leave the school quietly.

Earlier this week, one of my friends sent me a video of someone who shared that they were sexually abuse as a student. According to the individual, the educator moved to another school, at some point, and preyed on other students. My friend suggested that I write about the issue, because “it’s crazy how teachers are able to move around in the system after these things”. Coincidentally, it was something I have been thinking about for about two or so weeks. I can’t quite recall what prodded my thoughts, but the seemingly nonchalant attitude by school administrators, our policymakers and decision-makers, and the lack of accountability, which allow people to move around and perpetrate the same offence, is worrying.

GOT PREGNANT

When I was in high school, it was said that a female teacher got pregnant for a male student, but was keeping it on the down-low (for obvious reasons). Interestingly, a friend from another school had shared stories about boys, usually the athletes, who were involved with one or two of their teachers at schools in the parish. A couple years later, it was rumoured that one of our male teachers was asked/forced to leave the school after the school administrators gleaned that he was allegedly in a sexual relationship with a female student. Sometime after completing my first degree, a friend shared about a male teacher who allegedly got involved with one or more male students at their school, and bullied them to keep silent. When it was reported, the teacher simply moved to another school.

These stories are not particularly uncommon. This grave situation of educators sexually abusing their students and moving from school to school, when their wrongdoing is reported/discovered, is clearly an open secret. I imagine countless students, both male and female, have been victims in a system that is laden with deafening silence, replete with shame and lack of accountability, and does nothing but offer wrongdoers protection.

We cannot have a world-class education system where those who do our children harm, move from school to school, doing the same thing. I am acutely aware that this might not be an easy issue to deal with, but it is imperative that greater attention be paid to it, to make our schools safe for our children.

Perhaps it is that the education ministry isn’t fully aware of what is happening, and so not much has and can be done from their end. I keep wondering, though, if it ever occurred to school administrators to query why an educator may have changed schools several times. Do they obtain references from previous employers when doing recruitment? What is the education ministry’s policy on reports that should come to them? Are administrators required to provide information on cases of child sexual abuse, and why an educator moved from a school?

I understand that the Teaching Council Bill, that is currently before the Parliament, at the Joint Select Committee, includes provisions to deal with child sexual abuse. I sincerely hope that it will be enough and will help to engender a new and better society, where parents do not have to worry that their child’s teacher will prey on them. And that if they do, and are discovered, they will be held accountable.

Let’s do more to protect our children from harm. Now is the time to do so. We have a duty to get it right.

Jaevion Nelson is a human-rights, economic and social justice, and inclusive development advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and jaevion@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @jaevionn.