The Privacy Commissioner doesn’t care about your child’s privacy

You may never have heard of John Edwards. He is the Privacy Commissioner. PC for short.
We hadn’t heard of him either – until we raised the issue that the privacy of ALL students should be considered when determining school policies around changing rooms, showers and toilets.
In our media release, we said

“Students have a fundamental right to bodily privacy. What should young girls who are uncomfortable or intimidated by the presence of a male in their bathroom or changing room do, particularly young girls who have been victims of sexual abuse? Is it safe for a young female student to be in an intimate facility with adolescent or older males? We have male and female changing rooms because of biology, not because of ‘gender identity’. Separate facilities reflect the fact that boys and girls have bodily differences; they are designed to protect privacy related to our bodies.”

And we also suggested a “Student Physical Privacy Policy” for schools;

“The suggested policy says that schools must be both respectful of the privacy concerns of all children and sensitive to the diverse needs of individual children, but that no child should be forced into an intimate setting – like a toilet block or a changing room – with another child of the opposite sex.”

So just what was the response of the government representative supposedly appointed to protect the privacy of all New Zealanders – and especially our children?

Ridiculous, insulting, intrusive – what the f*** has it got to do with you?? How does it even affect you? https://t.co/rxNehXnSuw

— John Edwards (@JCE_PC) March 13, 2016

He obviously hasn’t read his job description. He should be sacked.