An open letter to the Minister of Human Services and Social Security

Dear Minister Vindhya Persaud,

I am writing to report the unconscionable treatment inflicted upon my elderly mother and special needs brother by a staff member of your ministry on Tuesday, 13 January 2025.

My mother, a pensioner in her 70s, accompanied my brother, a special needs man in his 50s, went to the Church of Christ on ‘C’ Field Sophia to collect his public assistance booklet. There, a ministry representative tasked with the distribution publicly berated and humiliated them both—loudly declaring that she did not like the way my brother smelled. She went on at length, chastising my mother for not ensuring my brother “smelled properly” before going out in public.

Madam Minister, I am outraged by the cruelty, the disrespect, and the indignity inflicted upon my brother and my mother. My mother ensures without fail that my brother bathes daily and would never take him anywhere without ensuring he has showered first. His clothes are washed regularly. He is well cared for and deeply loved.

But even if—on that particular day—he had not worn antiperspirant, how does that justify public ridicule? How does a minor oversight warrant loud humiliation in front of strangers?

People who work in public service must demonstrate basic compassion and respect for those they serve. All people—especially the vulnerable—deserve to be treated with dignity, regardless of who they are or how they present. Your staff member’s conduct was not only unprofessional; it was cruel, potentially discriminatory, and entirely without justification.

This incident reflects a broader, deeply troubling pattern in our country: the elderly, the infirm, and those with special needs are routinely treated as second-class citizens. They are demeaned, disrespected, and stripped of dignity by the very systems meant to support them.

This cannot stand.

I expect the following:

• A formal investigation into this incident
• Identification of the staff member involved and appropriate disciplinary action
• Mandatory sensitivity and dignity training for all staff distributing public assistance

My mother and brother went to collect assistance they are entitled to. They left humiliated. That is unacceptable, and as Minister, you are accountable for the conduct of those serving under your authority.

 

Yours truly,

Y. Alexis Stephens