INT’L PARTNERSHIPS, TRAINING STRENGTHEN ANTI-VIOLENCE STRATEGY

JAMAICA HAS also sought partnership with international bodies to tackle genderbased violence and to empower women and girls. One such partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) resulted in funding to assist the Bureau to implement the project, Addressing the Gap of Gender-based Violence between the State and Vulnerable Women and Girls. Out of this project, which ended in December, 34 community-sensitisation sessions were held, reaching approximately 1,927 females. Grange said that the Government would remain relentless in its thrust to deal with gender-based issues and that a number of initiatives would be rolled out in 2017. Among them is the formation of the Gender Advisory Council, a multisectoral body which is to be established to advise the strategic policy direction for the gender portfolio and to identify a strategy for addressing obstacles to gender equality.

Additionally, police and first responders will undergo training as efforts are made to strengthen the specialised rape and sexual offences protocols and units within the police force.

EVERY CHILD IS OUR CHILD

Meanwhile, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information Floyd Green, who has direct responsibility for youth, said the ministry, through its agencies, will continue a number of initiatives this year to protect the nation’s children.

“The Our Children Jamaica campaign launched last year by the ministry will continue to remind every Jamaican that every child is our child and we all have a responsibility under law to protect that child,” he said.

To further help to detect cases of child abuse, the Office of the Children’s Registry’s (OCR) Break the Silence school tour will this year place special focus on educators and students through sensitisation sessions.

The state minister said that efforts would be made to continue to empower the victims of abuse themselves to go directly to the Child Development Agency and the OCR to report the abuse.