Breathe
I filed a complaint in my resignation letter
Mariana Calvo
I did not report because I did not know the process for doing so. I filed a complaint in my resignation letter, sent on June 30, 2019, in the hope that this would initiate an investigation. I waited to be contacted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but never received a response. Instead, Consul Islas contacted me to schedule a meeting at the consulate a week later, for the purpose of discussing the contents of the letter. By that time, I had already terminated my services at the consulate.
I attended the meeting with the intention of discussing my complaint, but upon arrival, I was afraid to voice it, as Consul Islas had shouted at me and threatened me in a meeting two months earlier. Due to these previous interactions, I felt that he was not the right person to address the issue and that the most pertinent thing to do would be to speak to an officer of the Secretariat. However, as I mentioned, I was never contacted. Instead, Consul Islas' abuses continued, and several of my colleagues requested changes or resigned, seeing that no investigation was ever initiated.
Today I am not afraid
Alexia Núñez Bachmann
Today I am no longer afraid to speak out and share that I filed a complaint with the Internal Control Organ of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in February 2020. Before, I was afraid to speak out because of the reprisals I could face in my career as a diplomat and that the transfer I was seeking was at stake. In order to be promoted, the evaluation carried out by the head of the Representation is considered and a poor rating can considerably limit the professional development and future assignments of the interested party.
"He put my health at risk."
Estephania Iracheta
I, Estephania Iracheta, did not denounce at the time when the then Consul General, Jorge Islas López, raised his voice to me, because I observed that this behavior was commonplace in his office. I saw how his team of assistants was constantly changing, with people who did not last more than a week, and the only constant was the frequent resignation of his staff.
I was not in a position to be able to leave my job without affecting my household finances. During the pandemic, I was asked to come to the office unnecessarily, even though I was pregnant and without access to the vaccine, putting my baby's health at risk. I was ready to resign, but my gynecologist provided me with a letter addressed to the consulate, requesting that I be allowed to work from home.
On March 8, International Women's Day, we decided not to go to work in protest. Trusted male colleagues informed us that, during our absence, the Consul General made several sexist comments, mentioning that the atmosphere felt more positive without us and asking why Men's Day is not celebrated.
After my maternity leave, the lack of support with adequate space for breastfeeding and the lack of flexibility in schedules to be able to pick up my baby from daycare led me to make the difficult decision to stop working.
Today I have decided to raise my voice because I no longer have that fear. But above all, I do it because there are no names in this letter. I am the mother of two girls, and I want to teach them that they should not remain silent. If necessary, I will go to the presidency to seek justice.
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