Chuck faces more pushback after declaring 'Jamaica has no human rights problem'

Mickel Jackson, executive director of Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), has rejected Justice Minister Delroy Chuck’s assertion that Jamaica “does not… have a human rights problem,” saying it ignores “well-documented, systemic issues” affecting vulnerable groups across the country.

“Minister Chuck’s assertion that Jamaica ‘does not, and I hope will never have, a human rights problem’ dismisses well-documented, systemic issues raised by Jamaicans for Justice and other human rights organisations, as well as independent oversight bodies,” Jackson wrote in a social media post on Friday. 

“This denial ignores ongoing violations that demand urgent reform rather than deflection.”

"I respectfully urge Minister Delroy Chuck to withdraw the comment," she added. 

Jackson cited several areas of concern, including the detention of children for “uncontrollable” behaviour, which she said continues despite legislative moves to repeal the provision; allegations of excessive fatal shootings by security forces; and claims of prolonged detention without charge.

She also pointed to discrimination against certain groups, including persons living with HIV and members of the LGBT community, as well as what she described as harsh prison conditions marked by overcrowding, poor sanitation and inadequate healthcare.

On the issue of children in custody, Jackson said vulnerable minors, often girls, are still being placed in juvenile facilities despite not being convicted of any offence, arguing that such cases reflect a failure of care-based interventions.

Jackson referenced figures indicating 153 people have been killed by security forces year-to-date in 2026, including 11 deaths within a 24-hour period this week, and said questions continue to surround the use of force and accountability in fatal police encounters.

“Families and witnesses frequently dispute official ‘shoot-out’ narratives,” she said, adding that the absence of body-worn cameras in several incidents raises additional accountability concerns.

Jackson is urging the Government to engage constructively with civil society and international standards rather than issuing blanket denials of rights-based concerns.

“Denying the existence of human rights challenges does not make them disappear,” she said.

Minister Chuck made the comment during his sectoral presentation on Wednesday in the House of Representatives. 

He pointed to Jamaica's performance under two international accountability mechanisms as evidence of the country's standing, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Periodic Review. 

“When we reported to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Periodic Review, we got very good commendation,” he said.

Chuck directed anyone with human rights concerns to the Office of the Public Defender, which he said is empowered to prosecute any human rights breach.

Opposition Spokesman on Justice Zuleika Jess has also called for the minister to retract the remark. 

“To declare on the floor of Gordon House that Jamaica is free of human rights issues is not just a profound error; it is entirely delusional," she said. "A country cannot resolve its structural problems if the government refuses to acknowledge they exist.”

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