Adults Urged to Take Action Against Child Abuse

Minister of State for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, is pleading to adults to take action against child abuse.

Mr. Green, who brought greetings at the Child Month National Church Service on May 7 at the Fellowship Tabernacle, 2 Fairfield Avenue, Kingston 20, said that as Jamaicans, “we are good at talking, researching and putting out solutions, but oftentimes we fail to act upon those solutions”.

“My charge to all of us today is to truly take action in relation to this issue of child abuse,” the Minister implored.

Child Month (May) is being observed under the theme ‘Take Action! Break the Chain of Abuse Against Children’.

The State Minister said that not all cases of child abuse are reported, because adults are not taking action. He, therefore, appealed to adults that, during this Child Month, they resolve to do something about children who are being abused.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of the Child Development Agency (CDA), Rosalee Gage-Grey, said the agency is charged with the responsibility of caring and protecting the most vulnerable, and is, therefore, committed to finding and helping those children who are in need.

“The CDA is not only here to protect those that are abused, but also to ensure that these children have the means to become successful men and women of Jamaica,” she said.

More than 300 children from schools across the Corporate Area, including wards of the State, attended the Church Service, which kicked off activities for Child Month, organised by the National Child Month Committee (NCMC).

Other events planned for the month include Children’s Day interaction by the NCMC and other stakeholders with students in the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre and St. William Grant Park, downtown Kingston, on Friday, May 19; and a National Day of Prayer on Wednesday, May 31 at the Bethel Baptist Church in Half-Way-Tree from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Sponsors for Child Month 2017 include GraceKennedy Limited, National Baking Company Foundation, General Accident Insurance Company Limited, Jamaica Broilers, Jamaica Producers, Kingston Bookshop Limited, Caribbean Broilers, RJRGleaner Communications Group, and Scotia Foundation.

Article by: Judith A. Hunter
Photo from: www.jis.gov.jm