Safe places for victims of gender-based violence

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange says the Government will be giving "urgent priority" to the provision of safe places and rehabilitative and reconstructive services for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence.

"I have directed that this matter be addressed as an urgent and first order priority in the upcoming fiscal year," she said.

The minister was addressing the official launch of the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Project, at the Spanish Court Hotel, in New Kingston on Monday.

Committed

She said the Government was committed to eradicating gender-based violence in Jamaica "so that citizens can live free from the fear of harm and hurt".

She informed that the National Strategic Action Plan to Eliminate Gender-Based Violence (NSAP-GBV) would be a critical arsenal in the Government's efforts to effectively address the issue.

The NSAP-GBV, which is currently in draft form, will be brought before the Cabinet for approval by the end of May.

Grange noted that the action plan would serve as a monitoring and enforcement mechanism, which will facilitate a holistic approach towards the elimination of gender-based violence in Jamaica.