The rape story in the Tuesday Gleaner is one that quite a number of women can identify with.

It was about a policewoman, who was allegedly raped by one of her co-workers and who has been victimised for trying to get her supervisors to take action against the offender. The struggle felt by this policewoman is one that many women in various jobs have had to deal with on a daily basis.

Sexual innuendoes

Women in various work environment have had to endure sexual innuendoes from their male counterparts who seem to prefer to focus on the sexual attributes of the women rather than their role in the workplace.

Even worse is the fact that when some women seek to have the men who are guilty of sexual harassment duly punished, they are ridiculed and victimised even more for speaking out.

It is unacceptable that in this day and age when women's rights are being given strong attention, that we are moving backwards rather than forward. As a country we are not going any-where fast, when a woman cannot safely have a report of sexual harassment investigated without her being put through greater stress and pain.

We hope that this practice will not become commonplace in Jamaica and that authority figures, everywhere, who have the power to influence change in their workplaces or communities, will stamp out this practice. We need to ensure that our women feel safe and where they feel violated that the environment provides support and redress for them.