Over 20 Women Seeking Legal Support After Allegations of Voyeurism at BC FedEx Location

More than 20 women are seeking legal support following allegations of voyeurism at a FedEx ground shipping facility in Delta, BC, according to an organization supporting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. 

Concerned community members gathered in solidarity with workers at the facility on Monday to protest FedEx’s handling of the situation, which has impacted numerous female staff.

Staff were notified regarding allegations of voyeurism within their workplace after a FedEx employee filed a police report. 

According to a statement from Delta Police Department, the employee suspected of committing the act was arrested on July 7 and released on conditions pending further investigation.

“At this stage, investigators believe the incident was isolated to this workplace, and there is no information to suggest a broader risk to the public,” reads the police statement.

Many of the women impacted reached out to a local victim support organization, the Kaur Movement, alleging that a staff member had hidden a camera inside a garbage can within a women’s staff washroom stall. 

They told the organization that footage from the camera was uploaded to pornographic sites and further circulated in private Whatsapp chats.

Workers from the Delta location visited Gurpreet Kaur, founder of the Kaur Movement at the organization’s office at Dashmesh Darbar Gurdwara in Surrey, after initially reaching out about the situation at their workplace. So far, she said six women have reported seeing videos of themselves circulating online. 

“Complaints have been getting made for the past two years,” Kaur told PressProgress.

“His entry into the women’s washroom was repeatedly reported to management and no action was taken. This was entirely preventable.”

Since the story broke last week and following the protest on Monday, Kaur said the organization has arranged for a lawyer to be made available to the women — a move that has encouraged others to come forward.

“Currently, we have over 20 [women] wanting to connect with the lawyer,” Kaur said.

Allegations of management misconduct

According to Kaur, a number of the women said they had previously reached out to FedEx management with complaints about the suspected individual, but they were not taken seriously and formal, documented reports were not taken.

Kaur said that most of the women were international students, which contributed to their hesitation with coming forward. 

“They’re international students. They’re alone here,” Kaur said. 

Another person who was also present at the meeting in which victims came forward to Kaur is Sarbat Dhillon, a social media influencer who often shares local happenings in the Punjabi international student community to his tens of thousands of followers online. Dhillon joined the meeting at the Gurdwara after 30 workers — mostly international students — reached out to him about the incident online, Dhillon said Tuesday.

Dhillon spoke to PressProgress in Punjabi, and his interview has been translated into English.

Dhillon said when FedEx workers originally reached out to him, they hesitated to disclose what was really going on due to stigma and fear of losing their job.

The victims told him that management often made it seem like they were standing with the workers, but at the same time threatened to fire them if they spoke out.

“One gentleman within management would sort everything out internally and wouldn’t let the issue get out beyond the workplace,” Dhillon told PressProgress based on conversations he had with workers who felt comfortable speaking to him in Punjabi.

“He would say, ‘You’re not going to talk to anyone outside, you’re not going to talk to the media and you’re not going to bring it to social media or we will get you fired.’’”

Dhillon said that the workers’ status as immigrants or international students made them even more fearful of losing their livelihood.

“[Management] would say you won’t be able to find work [after] we get you fired,” Dhillon added. 

Kaur added that many of the workers felt isolated and afraid, because management preyed upon that fear.

“They would say, ‘Maybe you should just focus on getting the videos removed and not focus on the media and protesting. You don’t want this being shown to your family in India, do you?’” Kaur said. 

Kaur added that FedEx employees from other shipping locations have also been contacting her, alleging that the individual who was arrested previously worked at other locations as well, and they were worried about whether or not he had also put video cameras in other staff washrooms.

According to Kaur, staff members also alleged that managers had told them they would be compensated for their emotional distress following the incidents of voyeurism by being allowed to skip a few shifts but still getting paid.

Dhillon said that about 30 women have stopped going to work after the incident came to light, and replacement workers have allegedly been hired by FedEx from other locations to fill in for the women.

In a statement to PressProgress in response to questions about all these allegations, a representative from FedEx said they have terminated the individual responsible, and are “cooperating fully with law enforcement.”

“Our first concern continues to be the well-being of the women affected by this crime. Upon learning of the situation, we acted immediately, including cooperating with law enforcement, terminating the employment of the individual responsible, strengthening security, and providing counseling and support resources for our team members,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

“We recognize that the impact of an incident like this can be profound and long-lasting, and we are committed to supporting those affected every step of the way. We believe every woman who experiences violence or abuse should have a voice.”

The spokesperson also confirmed that they have hired staff from other locations to temporarily fill in for those who are on leave and that allegations regarding management are also being looked into. 

“We take these allegations very seriously and they are a part of our ongoing internal investigation. We are committed to a thorough review so we can address the findings as appropriate.”