News
Barbados again! - Another J'can woman says she was mistreated
B’Dos Opposition Leader says immigration has been a ‘hot potato’ issue
By KARYL WALKER Online news editor walkerk@jamaicaobserver.com
Monday, April 11, 2011
YET another Jamaican woman has come forward with accusations of mistreatment by the authorities at the Grantley Adams International Airport in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Although Donna Benjamin-McLean's alleged case of abuse occurred in September 2004, she has decided to come public in solidarity with Shanique Myrie — a Jamaican woman who has bitterly complained of being strip searched, finger-raped, verbally abused and locked up before being shipped out of Barbados without a reasonable explanation.
In an interview with the Observer on Saturday, Benjamin-McLean expressed her displeasure with reported denials by Barbadian authorities that Myrie's account was lacking in veracity and that she was a victim of human trafficking.
"I want Barbados to know that it is happening. They are behaving as if it never happened, as if it is a lie. I don't believe I will ever revisit Barbados, because I fear them," Benjamin-McLean said.
Benjamin-McLean said she was plucked from the immigration line upon her arrival in the eastern Caribbean island and subjected to demeaning treatment after she was accused of smuggling drugs.
"They had my luggage on the counter all opened, they searched and found nothing. Then two women took me into a room and said I should strip. I took my clothes off, leaving my panties and they said 'take the panty off'. So I said, 'I can't because I am seeing my menstruation' and they said 'drop off the pad'â so I dropped it off," a distraught Benjamin-McLean said.
She also said that the Barbadian authorities put her through even further humiliation.
"They told me to hold my two hands out and squat, like bend down and jerk myself. I did, so they took me to the police station and questioned me," she said.
Then, she said she told the cop that she needed to urinate.
"A policewoman followed me to the bathroom and watched me as I urinated. She bent and was looking up to see what was coming out of me," she said, adding that afterwards the cops informed her that she would be taken to hospital to be flushed out.
She agreed to the procedure, she said.
Benjamin-McLean said she had travelled to Barbados to visit a family member who was outside the airport waiting to collect her. The pressure eased a bit after members of the Royal Barbados Police Force interrogated her and her sister separately and could find no disparity in their answers.
She said a policeman then told her that she would no longer be required to go to the hospital because her story was corroborated by her sister.
"My sister was all shaken up and terrified about the whole issue. She was in tears. She couldn't drive. So the policeman drove until she got back her composure and then sent us on our way," she said.
Two days later, the woman said she got a call from the same cop who apologised and told her that the next time she was visiting the island she should inform him so that he could receive her.
But that was little consolation to Benjamin-McLean who has vowed to stay clear of that country.
"This was the most disgusting, horrible and terrifying thing to happen to me. I have been to England twice and Grand Cayman once, but Barbados is the worst," she said.
Benjamin-McLean has made a formal report to Public Defender Earl Witter who has since forwarded her complaint to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.
Yesterday, Barbados' Nation newspaper reported that former Prime Minister Owen Arthur has called for "quiet diplomacy" in the handling of the Shanique Myrie incident, warning that it must not be allowed to tarnish relations between Barbados and Jamaica.
"I do not want this matter pertaining to foreign relations to appear as though I am castigating Barbadian officials, but just put it this way, that I feel the foreign ministry should understand the role of diplomacy in solving problems and that that is the first thing that you use," Arthur said.
Arthur, who is also the opposition leader, suggested that Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Maxine McClean might have rushed to judgement on the Shanique Myrie matter when she stated publicly that Myrie's claims that she was cavity-searched at Grantley Adams International Airport last month were unfounded.
Arthur said Bridgetown has more to lose than Kingston, given its heavier dependence on regional exports, and further cautioned the Freundel Stuart administration that it cannot afford to have the matter "spiral out of control".
The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) leader acknowledged that the matter of immigration had been a hot potato even when he was in Government, but said he was careful not to support "bad treatment as an official position".
Myrie has since retained an attorney and a Jamaican delegation that visited Barbados to investigate the matter has since determined that her case needs to be properly investigated.
Yesterday, the Sunday Observer reported from the statement of another Jamaican woman who said she was raped by Barbadian policemen while she was in custody for drug smuggling.
She has already identified two Barbadian cops who she said were involved in her alleged ordeal and both were last week arrested, charged and granted bail.
 
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4/11/2011
I am a Barbadian and I think ppl are sensationalising things to stir up public emotions. If the event did take place I am sure that every right thinking Barbadian would want to see those responsible punished. It is not Barbados vs Jamaica the two countries are not at war. Jamaican musicians make a killing in Barbados every year, ask Sizzla or beenie. However there are lots of female jamaicans( not all) who come to Barbados to work as dancers and prostitutes and mules.These are the facts.
4/11/2011
shame and you jlp /pnp stand up and show some dignity for once.........and remember ladies the power is in the people ,be strong....the us goverment would never allow this to happen to its people ,period.
4/11/2011
Response to Brad Kerr. You made some erroneous statements. Facts about Barbados. It has one of the highest literacy rates in the world. It has a higher GDP than Jamaica. Its has the third highest human-development index in the Americas. It has free education, from primary to tertiary,free healthcare, free busfares for school children and senior citizens. Its unemployment is at 11%, even in these harsh economic times.An average civil servant works for more than 1500.US a month. NO SLUMS
4/11/2011
where is the jamaica goverment?can some one please help these woman ,all these woman need to come togather and create one of the bigest peacefull demomstration and march to the jamaica house...thats the only way the goverment of jamaica, that is there to protect its citizen will no how serious this is.
4/11/2011
this case seems worst to me, how can someone be using the bathroom and another person stand observing whats coming out? no no no!.... on what planet is this acceptable? somethings needs to be done about this and i for one am glad i didn't take the job offer to go there. upset
@ yard vibes- are you 5? how old are you ? please don't give the rest of us well thinking males a bad name. what better word would you have her use to describe it?
@ bajan woman u r only aggravating us with ur loose comment
4/11/2011
Keep it coming! Tell it like it is!
@ Yard Vibz. it's ok for anyone to read this. We will be fine.
4/11/2011
Jamaicans love to go to Barbados, when they are aware of the treatement there.
4/11/2011
The Jamaican government has proven itself to be nothing more than a weak #$!% (place your favourite explicative here). If this happened once you could it was rare , twice - coincidence. This is now a regular occurrence. The time for diplomacy is over. Recall our ambassador and/or diplomats and shamefully expel theirs from our county. Then order a full independent investigation into the documented cases. Then maybe just maybe, Barbados and any other wannabe will start taking us seriously.
4/11/2011
Jamaica should declare WAR against Barbados. Why do we have a 5000 man army, one of the world’s greatest fighting machines, and allow these small islands to constantly abuse our citizens? Since we like to emulate the USA, what do we think the USA would do if their citizens were abused by another country? We should send the JDF over there and kick their butts and then we would start to get respect. This diplomacy thing will not work, it fails for years, it is run by crooked Caribbean politicians.
4/11/2011
I thought the Shanique Myrie experience was bad, but somehow this seems worst. Barbados really need to look into themself.
4/11/2011
Is Barbados a sexual pariah state that should be brought before the United Nations. There are just too many cases of sexual improprieties taking place in this country.
4/11/2011
@Bajan Woman yes your correct in a sense from the numerous cases that have been brought to light your country's airport officials are doing this to many people..there is no way on earth the US or UK will allow this to happen and even if it does it would be better handled than how the rude and offensive barbarian yes "barbarian" gov dealt with it
4/11/2011
Where, oh where is Amnesty International? Oops my bad. I forgot that these incidents did not happen in Jamaica or against gays or Jamaican police so why would they care? Had it happen in JA this would have been headline news all over the world. JA would have been condemed, calls for boycott, and the tourist industry would have been scrambling to save face spending millions of dollars. Our ministers would be out apologizing, offering free trips to the family and relatives of those abused.
4/11/2011
The more of our country’s asset and the more of our jobs that these eastern Caribbean nations acquire, the more contempt they show for Jamaicans. We are losing our assets not because these eastern islands are “fingering us” but because Jamaicans have no pride in self and country. These eastern islands are so nationalistic that they have made it a rule not to hire Jamaicans, yet they come to Jamaica and walk into a job and on at least three occasions have got government scholarships while Jamaican applications within that same workplace are denied.
Our people are suffering because our leaders have no shame and they lack vision.
4/11/2011
@Yard Vibz..what are you talking about? how is the author introducing her male audience to this type of language? how old are you ?12..you dont know about such things? you never had a woman in your life? Im a man and im not in the least bit offended. speak for yourself
4/11/2011
Part two>>>The sad part about these episodes are that the "AVERAGE" please note I said average Jamaican lives better than most people in these island. A lot of these little hell holes once you get out of the tourist area the places are a mess. As a Jamaican born in a first world country I have seen the difference and Jamaicans should realize that they are living way better than most people in the carribbean. To subject youselves to this type of abuse its not worth it..
4/11/2011
@ Bajans Woman Jamaicans are not condoning the bad behaviour of Jamaicans in UK, US and other nations, or if they are grossly mistreated by those countries. but Barbados "take the cake" so if our socalled Black brothers and sisters in Barbados are doing this to Black Jamaicans, Jamaicans must take it "lying down" what if this happen to your mother, sister, daughter, or any other female members of you family in Jamaica or other countries what would you say? it is time to boycott Barbados.
4/11/2011
@ Bajan woman even when the US/UK suspect one of drug smuggleing the searches are usually done by medical professional, and in a hospital setting. One never hear the atrocities coming out of Barbados from the US or UK. Yes, it your country and you can admit whomever you choose but be mindfull of the implications. Perceptions goes a long way in determining one's standing. Barbados and the Cayman Islands have no worries where me and children are concerned, as our tourism $ would not be spent their
4/11/2011
To Bajan Woman:
I too wait for Jamaicans to cry out about the U.S, U.K, and other nations. However it is very disappointing when a fellow Caribbean nation does this!! Abuse of power is never good. I assume there are more professional ways to deal with these situations. I blame the people in charge for what happened, they should be the first to go! Your "oops forgot only Barbados ever had this" attitude is the reason why there is now an issue. Fix your house b4 looking at others!! be an example.
4/11/2011
Seriously Yard Vibz, is that the only thing you got from this article? "was it really necessary for the author of this piece to introduce her MALE audience to this type of language?" WOW
4/11/2011
Just wondering, is it wrong to search a suspected drug smuggler? is the problem the searching or the way in which it is done. My assumption is since a lot of Jamaicans take Drugs into the country then more Jamaican would be searched, make sense. Bajans need to revise there tactics and be professional about it.
4/11/2011
Another sad story indeed. The more people come forward, the better the chances for Ms Myrie if a class action lawsuit is filed.
@ Yard Vibz - What type of gross language has the Observer introduced to the male audience? At least they said menstruation, the correct terminology. What's so gross about the natural process God introduced? TV ads talk about it all day long too.
It is the Observer's duty to report exactly what Mrs McLean went through. Word for word in text that is not foul for print
4/11/2011
The complaints from the Guyanese, St Vincentians and now Jamaicans show that abuse of certain Caribbean nationals by Bajan immigration officials is not an isolated issue.
I applaud Shanique Myrie for her bravery and coming forward because silence breeds xenophobia.
Fellow Jamaicans, we are 6 million strong and many commenting on this board are living in other parts of the world. If petty Bajans want to mistreat us, the fallout for Barbados will be international in scope.
4/11/2011
Are these people Barbadians or Barbarians?
4/11/2011
All these incidents that are appearing in the news media are just the tip of the iceberg. All women and men who were grossly mistreated sexually and otherwise in Barbados must come forward now and report their story including people from other Islands and Guyana don't be a shame to come forward it must be expose
Jamaica must publish a travel advisory for Jamaicans not to travel to Barbados and take punitive actions against Barbados boycott Barbados goods start to turn the "screws"
4/11/2011
Another sad story, but was it really necessary for the author of this piece to introduce her male audience to this type of language? I mean, men are aware of women's monthly tribulation, but we don't want to see it in prints or listen to it being discussed... Very gross language, Karyl!
4/11/2011
I wait for Jamaicans to cry out about the UK, US and other nations...oops forgot only Barbados ever had this...again this is not good and abuse of power is never good
4/11/2011
If we are abused and ill-treated anywhere, we just shouldn't go there. The US State Dept advises the public when they think the safety of American citizens are being compromised, so perhaps the Jamaican government should advise Jamaican citizens on which countries to avoid. We should not have to be subject to discrimination because we're spirited and a bit colorful.
Those countries would not be in mourning if Jamaicans did not choose to land on their shores. A win-win situation for sure!
4/11/2011
Yes women (and men) come forward. Whata rude and evil set. These women are so intirgued with stripping Jamaican women. A cudda wha so?
Thank you Observer. They need to be exposed. Some nerve trying to shut you up. Jamaicans stop buying anything from Barbados
4/11/2011
Why would that policeman want to receive this woman on her trip to Barbados,this a clearer indication that these people wanted to fulfilled the sexual appetite on Jamaicans and trying to blame it on drugs,that they call Bob Marley.The more these women talk is the more Jamaica/Barbados relation is threaten.I hope foreign affairs keep it mind our rights does not start at any embassy and ended after we board the plane.After all not all Jamaicans involved in drugs.wha dem hear bout.
4/11/2011
Observer, keep on protecting jamaicans with your news items. If it wasn't for you we wouldn't hear about it as the Jamaica government not interested, since they must have known about this for years
4/11/2011
This situation should not go to "quiet" diplomacy. If it has been a hot issue ofr a while then that won't solve it. Barbadians seem to be serial "abusers", and seem to envy the looks of our Jamaican women. Understandably. But we should boycott visiting there or buying their products. Leave the small island alone, as they obviously have an inferiority complex they have to play out
4/11/2011
Come out Jamaican women and get your story printed so you can build a good case. .
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