And while March 8th is a day to celebrate women this luncheon was plagued by the shadow of controversy that has plagued the BDF, and the memory of Private Micha Miguel, a young soldier who committed suicide after she'd suffered alleged harassment and abuse at the hand of superiors and colleagues.
An internal report on that matter was conducted by BDF personnel but it has never been released. And tonight the update on Private Micah is that the Women's Department's inquiry into her death has recently been completed - but, again, not released.
7news today asked BDF's Acting Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Col. Jermaine Burns if the Women's Department report will ever see the light of day.
Lieutenant Col. Jermaine Burns, Acting Chief Of Staff, B.D.F
"So, um, that was the exact question and when I got up I said that the questions keep getting harder and harder, um, the first report from the military, the actual findings from that investigation was submitted to our Ministry in November of last year. Those findings were not made privileged to my office. The commander B.D.F. may have gotten that report personally handed over to him and he could speak to that. When it comes to the report from the Women's department. I, as I answered the question inside just now. I ran into Mr. Sean Vargas just two weeks ago at a conference and he alluded to the fact that they are completed, Ms. Cynthia Williams the week prior to that had told me that they were just putting their final bits to it and she had called for some additional documentation about Micha from the B.D.F. and with Mr. Sean Vargas's confirmation that they are finished, he told me that he is submitting it to our Ministry and his Minister, who is Dolores, the Hon. Dolores Balderamos. We are waiting for them to take a look at it. It is something that I alluded to inside that we have to have at least the general results of it in order for us to make some sort of progress or we would just regress. It would mean that all those efforts and the life of Micah would be in vain because we wouldn't have had those results to see what it is that she was suffering from, whether it was personal or something brought on by the rigors of work or individuals that offended her at work but I am hoping that those are made public."
