GFF Commission of Inquiry beset by poor attendance

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the sexual harassment of female referees by match officials and administrators, has not been attended by any official in approximately 12 days.

This was revealed by Chairman of the Committee Dr. Karen Pilgrim during an invited comment with Stabroek Sport.

A former member of the Normalization Committee, the veteran administrator said “We expected a flood people but we have not had that. It was not as I had expected.”  According to Dr. Pilgrim, a better effort might have to be made to access individuals that wish to provide testimony to the commission, revealing that the next date for the forum will be for the ensuing week.

She revealed that about 10 persons have testified before the commission to date. Asked to specify a timeline for the conclusion of the process, she stated that the life of the process was initially pegged at three months from its start in March. However she stated that possibility exists that the commission concludes no later than July, as they don’t want the process to drag on. “We need a better timeline but don’t want it dragging out,” she said.

According to Dr. Pilgrim, despite the lack of attendees, the objective is to gather enough information to make recommendations at the end of the process.

Questioned if individuals have submitted their respective testimonials via recording to the commission, she divulged that while persons have contacted the entity via email, no one has submitted any recording as a testimony.

The all-female commission also comprises Dr. Melissa Ifill of the University of Guyana, Karen Joseph, Human Resources Consultant, Karen De Souza, Red Thread and Joy Nichola Marcus-Red, also of Red Thread.