Does Jamaica have a plan to combat child sexual abuse?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

About one month ago, I watched a documentary about Richard Huckle, a one-time, pretend ‘goodwill’ volunteer teacher who has been described as “Britain’s worst paedophile”.

According to reports, Huckle targeted, groomed, and sexually abused “up to 200 Malaysian babies and children” between the ages of six months and 12 years old from 2006 to 2014.

Understanding how Huckle was able to gain access to these innocent, vulnerable, and underprivileged children led me to ponder, among other things, just how many paedophiles currently walk among us in Jamaica, particularly in a context where incidents of child sexual abuse are increasing at alarming rates.

What strategies, if any, actually exist to ensure that our nation’s children receive proactive protection from sexual abuse of any kind?

We truly need a concrete plan of action to combat child sexual abuse, inclusive of proactive psychosocial interventions and treatment options aimed at addressing the mental illness that is paedophilia.

This is a rather controversial take, but one which accords with a proactive approach that seeks to prevent rather than merely respond to incidents of child sexual abuse, since no parent – no matter how amazing, attentive, and involved ­– will truly be able to monitor their child/children all day, every day. Devising a concrete plan of action to combat child sexual abuse, which centres around proactivity, would therefore be an important first step in ensuring that our nation’s children can truly enjoy their childhood free from sexual abuse of any kind. They certainly deserve as much.

AMANDA JANELL DEAMOR QUEST