‘Report them’ - CDA head urges male teachers to report schoolgirl sexual predators

Rosalee Gage-Grey, executive director of the Child Development Agency (CDA), has admitted that the environment for males who work with children has become toxic and increasingly difficult.

Gage-Grey said adults working with children should take the utmost care to protect themselves and their reputation.

The CDA head was responding to queries about the problem of schoolgirls sending pornographic material to male teachers in aggressive campaigns of sexual harassment.

"Persons who work with children have to be aware and take the necessary precautions to safeguard themselves from accusations. But the teacher should have reported the matter when he first received the picture," said Gage-Grey of an incident in which a male teacher revealed he had been harassed by a student after the police were called in to investigate claims against him.

"The school's disciplinary procedures would then be applied. It should also have been reported to the Office of the Children's Registry," added Gage-Grey.

According to the CDA head, instances where schoolgirls send explicit pictures to their male teachers warrant an investigation into the social circumstances of the girls as, by their actions, they may be placing themselves in danger of abuse by unscrupulous individuals who receive the explicit images.

She noted that Section 8 (a) of the Child Care and Protection Act speaks to the issue of children falling into bad association, or beyond control, which would deem them in need of care and protection.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com