In Dominica, the silence surrounding abuse in public office is no longer acceptable. What many have suspected and whispered in back rooms is now impossible to ignore: too many women, especially from rural communities like Belles, La Plaine, and Vieille Case, are being cornered by men who wear suits of authority but behave like predators.
One woman, a mother of three from Bells, walked into a ministry office seeking urgent help for basic home repairs. She needed shelter for her children. Instead, she was met with suggestive remarks and conditions unrelated to her request. Trapped between poverty and humiliation, she was forced to trade her body for a service that should have been granted by law, not manipulated for personal favors.
This disgraceful power play is not confined to a single office or isolated event. It is widespread. Rumours of Ministers of Cabinet, parliamentary representatives, and others in leadership have been repeatedly accused, quietly, in fear, of abusing their roles. Many are married, respected in their constituencies, yet privately exploit young women and even youth who approach them for support. This is not governance. This is predation.
The silence is deafening. Civil society tiptoes around the issue. Institutions look away. Those who speak out are dismissed as troublemakers or silenced with threats. And yet, in many villages, the stories grow. Girls forced to smile through discomfort. Boys ashamed to speak out. Mothers advising daughters not on how to succeed, but how to survive when the person behind the desk starts asking inappropriate questions.
Such behavior isn’t just immoral, it is illegal and inhumane. Public office was never meant to serve as a shield for corruption or a tool for coercion. The people of Dominica deserve better. Women should not have to weigh dignity against survival. Help should never come with conditions.
If we remain quiet, we allow this sickness to spread. If we excuse it, we become complicit. It’s time to drag this darkness into daylight. Real public reform demands action, transparency, and a justice system that protects victims, not perpetrators.
The women of the east coast and those in coastal communities, Dominicans in Roseau, the youth of Dominica, and every citizen who places trust in government deserve protection, not predators. Let that be the starting point for change.
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