Mariko Kagoshima | Confronting the crisis of child sexual abuse in Jamaica

UNICEF is deeply concerned about the crisis of relentless sexual abuse, exploitation and violation of Jamaica’s children. Recent reports of brutal attacks on our children are extremely distressing. Equally appalling are the statistics behind the stories. According to 2018 police data, 71 per cent of all girls who were victims of crime were victims of rape. One out of every two reported rape victims are girls under 18.

We join the nation in being outraged by the pervasive assaults on our children. We must, however, go beyond expressing indignation. We must identify and take the necessary actions to prevent sexual abuse of our children, to support children who have been victims of these heinous crimes, and to reject the damaging social norms and beliefs that contribute to sexual abuse.

Responsibility rests with all of us – at the institutional, community and individual levels. UNICEF believes that:

• The key institutions mandated to protect our children must be provided with adequate resources to carry out their work. A recent review of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), for example, identified a need for an additional 150 social workers to support children and families.

• The Government of Jamaica, public and private institutions and Jamaicans from all walks of life must find ways to address and change harmful attitudes and social norms that enable sexual abuse at all levels.

• The justice and law enforcement systems must hold predators fully accountable for the painful long-term impact, both physically and psychologically, of their crimes on children. The response of the justice system to child sexual abuse cases is particularly important to send a strong message that the country is serious about stamping out sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

• All adults – and especially those responsible for the protection of our children – must act quickly, efficiently and sensitively to identify children who have been sexually abused and help them navigate the healthcare and justice systems.

• Anyone who knows about a child being abused must do something about it. Those who fail to report what they know are accomplices to hideous crimes and are helping to normalise the acceptance of child sexual abuse.

• The media, in reporting on child sexual abuse cases, must clearly describe the sexual crimes that have been committed under Jamaican law. This includes calling these offences what they are – “rape” or “carnal abuse”, not “sex with a child or minor” or “sexual relationships”; and calling offenders “paedophiles” or “rapists”, not “lovers” or “boyfriends”.

Individual and collective failures to act have resulted in a system that too often casts blame on the young victims, normalises sexual offences against under-aged girls, creates an enabling environment for predators and minimises the consequences of the actions of perpetrators.

We must do better to protect our children – living up to the Child Care and Protection Act and the Convention on the Rights of the Child which Jamaica ratified in 1991 – and to ensure that the justice system and the wider child protection system (which includes every single Jamaican) acts in the best interest of every child.

Mariko Kagoshima is the country representative for UNICEF Jamaica. She has over 20 years of experience with UNICEF, working in Guatemala, Honduras, Uganda, Angola, Afghanistan, and Mexico. Send feedback to kingston@unicef.org.