Trudy Simpson, Staff Reporter
GOMES
HUMAN RIGHTS lobby group, Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ), says it is being stonewalled in its attempts to find out whether anyone will be charged in relation to 23 cases of alleged sexual abuse which were said to have taken place in some of the island's children's homes and places of safety.
The cases were first made public in 2003 in a report which JFJ turned over to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). It followed allegations of sexual and physical abuse of children in state care, which prompted a Government-ordered probe and 46 recommendations from a four-member panel committeeset up to investigate the allegations. In the almost two years since then, the alleged cases were turned over to the police and later to the office of Kent Pantry, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
"Since then, I haven't been able to get a single thing," Dr. Carolyn Gomes, JFJ's executive director, said.
In March, in its periodic update to the IACHR, JFJ lamented that the DPP had not charged anyone or reported intentions to bring charges against alleged child abusers in children's homes and places of safety.
"In a letter to Director of Public Prosecutions Kent Pantry dated November 2, 2004, Jamaicans for Justice requested confirmation that the DPP was pursuing those cases and requested information on their status.
"Specifically, Jamaicans for Justice asked the DPP whether any charges have been or will be brought against anyone in relation to allegations of abuse in children's homes. The DPP failed to respond to Jamaicans For Justice's request.
NOTHING FURTHER TO SAY
"When a staff attorney at Jamaicans for Justice called to inquire further into the matter, a DPP representative told her that the public prosecutor had already answered her questions and had nothing further to say to Jamaicans For Justice," JFJ's periodic update said.
When The Gleaner contacted the DPP's office on Monday, a representative stated that Mr. Pantry said his investigation report into the cases "is not ready". She declined to put The Gleaner through to the DPP or return to Mr. Pantry to ask follow-up questions.
In March, JFJ also said investigations carried out in three children's homes between October and December 2004 showed that serious problems still existed and that children were still at risk in some children's homes and places of safety. Much of the focus was on administrative reform, JFJ said.
However, in their own update, health officials said they are taking steps to protect state wards, among them, seeking to hire more qualified staff and maintenance of critical incident logbooks to record any unusual occurrences.
