OCR urges Jamaicans to report child abuse
Published:Thursday | January 12, 2017 | 12:00 AM
The Office of the Children's Registry (OCR) is reminding Jamaicans of their duty to report incidents of child abuse.
Given the recent spate of child abuse cases in the country, the ORC is warning that persons who know or suspect that a child is being abused and fail to make a report to Registry could find themselves in trouble with the law.
Failure to Report
Persons who know or suspect that a child is being abused and fail to make a report to the OCR are liable upon summary of a conviction before a resident magistrate to a fine not exceeding $500,000 or to imprisonment for up to six months or both.
What to Report
A report should include information to help the authorities identify and locate the child in question. Vital information includes:
- Name, age and sex of the child
- Names and addresses of parents/guardians
- The school that the child attends
- Details of the incident being reported
- Identity and other details of the alleged perpetrator
- Any other information that can assist in the completion of the report and intervention.
How to Report
Call the Office of the Children's Registry to make a report on Mondays to Fridays between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
The numbers are :
- Toll free: 1-888- PROTECT (1-888-776-8328)
- Telephone: 908-2132/754-9133/618-5888/631-8933/631-8908
- Mobile : 822-7031 (FLOW)
- Mobile and WhatsApp: 878-2882 (DIGICEL)