Outrageous & frightening - US based advocate urges the Jamaican Government to do more to protect the children
Published:Saturday | October 27, 2018 | 12:00 AMCorey Robinson/Staff Reporter
Dr Clover Baker-Brown, spokesperson for the Montego Bay, St James-based advocacy group Sarah's Children, has described as outrageous and frightening reports of the almost 13,000 cases of child abuse reported to the Child Protection and Family Services Agency in the first nine months of this year.
"What is happening in Jamaica? For some of us who don't live there and who hear about it, the more frightening it becomes. The numbers are horrible. They are worse than I thought they were," said Baker-Brown from her home in Maryland.
According to Baker-Brown, Jamaica's children seem to be living in a state of perpetual trauma.
"In the United States, studies show that one in four girls and one in eight boys are sexually abused, but the numbers in Jamaica are just a national disaster. Jamaica is way too small for us to be hearing about child abuse at that rate," added Baker-Brown.
She argued that while parents are the primary caregivers, the Government needs to urgently implement measures to stem child abuse on the island.
Sarah's children was developed to protect the rights of children in Jamaica, and to provide mentorship for youngsters in St James, which has been the scene of several violent incidents in recent times.