A Rape Allegation Shows the Weakness of the B.D.F.’s Report!
But about a month and a half after the report was concluded, a female officer reported that she was raped while inside her bedroom sleeping. This, according to Retired B.D.F. Captain Derricia Castillo is indicative that there is a problem at the B.D.F., which the report does not address when it comes to the systems in place. In this second report, we share with you a summary of the findings, as well as some of the recommendations.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
It’s been four months since the allegations surfaced – and three months ago the report was completed and while recommendations have been made it remains unclear if anything has been put in place to address these problems. We’ve learnt that a workplace sexual harassment manual is being drafted. But during that time a disturbing case – separate and apart from the training unit – happened at the Price Barracks where a female officer reported a case of rape allegedly committed by Staff Major Margarito Pop. But what’s troubling about this case is that incident happened in April and it wasn’t until a month later that this criminal matter was forwarded to the authorities. Sources in the B.D.F. say that action was only taken when the story went public on News Five on Tuesday, June second. They say that is when pressure came down on the B.D.F. for the matter to be dealt with criminally. Salazar also notes this occurrence with grave concern.
Derricia Castillo
Derricia Castillo, Retired B.D.F. Captain
“This case came up and was dealt with in the same manner as the allegations were dealt with in January, where the Belize Defence Force thought on its own that they would be able to try this case, they can investigate this case and they can deem someone guilty or not guilty of rape. So, it shows that from January through this ongoing investigation that was occurring – the same manner which was being investigated is the same way the B.D.F dealt with this case that is now in the courts.”
And this, Castillo points out, is a problem that is indicative of the systems at the B.D.F. One that this report has failed to highlight and failed to provide real solutions for.
Derricia Castillo
“It is a systematic problem and that was barely touched in the report, barely touched in the recommendations and that is where the issue lies. Even if there was a criminal case or there wasn’t, the nature of sexual assault cases are within the Belize Defence Force; every intake; I am sure if you do some research you would see that every intake there are allegations of people saying that they were sexually assaulted within the B.D.F. So, the nature is there and I think this report could have done more to assist the Belize Defence Force in creating a mechanism to better address those.”
The report summarizes its findings noting that recruits didn’t have knowledge of rules; one recruit experienced outrageous physical abuse. There was a lack of confidentiality for recruits to make reports. Instructors were selling contraband and there are cases of extortion by the medic. The civilian staff reported cases of sexual harassment; the report points to need for further investigation. The recommendations, according to this report, are for clear guidelines; the development of an in-service training for both instructors and recruits on justifiable force and harm. It recommends training on sexual assault and harassment in the workplace to be provided by another entity and the need for a counselor to provide support to the members of the B.D.F. A female officer should form a part of the I.N.T. To ensure that other females can make reports without any fear and true transparency be carried out whenever such allegations of Sexual Assault or Harassment arise. The investigation to truly ascertain the scope and gravity of sexual violence within the B.D.F. should be conducted and expanded to cover all other units of the B.D.F. Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.
