NPTAJ calls for greater parental oversight after alleged school sexual assault
Published:Wednesday | April 2, 2025 | 1:33 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
President of the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ), Stewart Jacobs, is urging parents to pay closer attention to the content their children are exposed to at home and on the Internet.
His appeal follows an alleged incident at a Kingston-based primary school, where an 11-year-old male student is accused of sexually assaulting a six-year-old female student.
Jacobs expressed his sadness over the alleged assault, highlighting it as a sign of moral decline in society.
“Children are impressionable. They are going to live out what they learn, they’re going to live out what they hear, they’re going to live out what they are seeing. What are they seeing? A high distribution of pornography on their tablets and phones and on their devices; it’s popping up,” he told The Gleaner.
He criticised parents for not inspecting their children’s online activity and for allowing adult conversations to take place around them, which he believes can contribute to such behaviours.
REFERRED FOR INTERVENTION
On Tuesday, the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) issued a statement expressing concern over the March 11 incident. The CPFSA’s investigation revealed that the schoolboy allegedly led the girl into an empty classroom after school, where the assault took place. Following the report, the CPFSA initiated an investigation and spoke with both children and their parents. The girl was referred to the Ministry of Justice’s Victim Services Division for counselling, while the boy was referred to the Child Guidance Clinic for psychological intervention.
“We are deeply troubled by this incident, as school should be looked at as a safe haven for students, and not one where they should be vulnerable to being sexually abused, especially not by their fellow students,” said CPFSA CEO Laurette Adams-Thomas.
The CPFSA is continuing its investigation, which includes home visits and community assessments for both children, as well as a visit to the school for further details.
Under Section 63 of the Child Care and Protection Act, no child under the age of 12 can be held criminally responsible. Jacobs, acknowledging this legal framework, stressed that parents play a critical role in preventing such behaviour.
“Parents can put the security devices on their children’s devices that they are able to see what they intend for them to see, and to encourage not to have adult conversations around their children and to also not expose their children to the type of music that implies those sort of behaviour,” he said.
While noting that emotions surrounding this incident are “going to be high”, he called for the adults to also exercise patience, keeping the well-being of both children at the forefront.
“Give her all the love and the guidance and support that she now needs and deserves, be gentle with her,” he said of the schoolgirl, while adding that the 11-year-old boy is also deserving of love “while he goes through the process of “purging himself”.