Cda jamaicas-national-country-report-2010

Jamaica’s Country Report on Child Participation
“Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business”

Prepared by the Child Development Agency November 2010 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview …………. 3-4

Report Period …………. 4

Methodology …………. 4-5

Situation of Children in Jamaica …………. 6-11

Linkages: National Commitment,
Policy and Legislative Environment …………. 8-10

Child Care and Protection Act (2004) …………. 10-11

Public Policy on Child and Adolescent
Participation …………. 12-27

Child Development Agency …………. 18-20

Office of the Children’s Advocate …………. 20-21

Office of the Public Defender …………. 21

Office of the Children’s Registry …………. 21-22

Office of the Prime Minister …………. 22-23

Ministry of Health …………. 23

Planning Institute of Jamaica …………. 23-24

Non Governmental Organizations …………. 24-27

Impact …………. 28-29

Evaluation …………. 30-31

Perspectives and Projections …………. 31

Suggestions …………. 31

Appendix 1 …………. 32

CHILD DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
JAMAICA COUNTRY REPORT ON CHILD PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES

ACRONYMS & MEANING

CMC - Child Month Committee

JAYAP - Jamaica Youth Ambassadors Programme

NCYD - National Centre for Youth Development

SDC - Social Development Commission

ILO - International Labour Organization

ESSJ - Economic & Social Survey of Jamaica

PATH - Programme of Advancement through Health & Education

OCR - Office of the Children’s Registry

CISOCA - Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse

JCF - Jamaica Constabulary Force

CCPA - The Child Care and Protection Act

UNICEF - United Nations Children Education Fund

GOJ - Government of Jamaica

OPM - Office of the Prime Minister

RCCFs - Residential Child Care Facilities



OVERVIEW

The Child Development Agency, on behalf of the Government of Jamaica, has been
commissioned to prepare a Country Report on national efforts to promote child
participation, for submission to the Inter- American Children’s Institute. This is a key
deliverable under the Project “Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Children and
Adolescents in the Inter –American System”, being implemented in Jamaica under the
auspices of the Organization of American States (the OAS) and the Government of Canada.
This project is simultaneously being implemented in Colombia and Guatemala and has
three broad components:
– Public Policy
– Child Participation
– Communication Strategies.

Often, when we speak of children and child participation, we repeat the well-known
phrases that “children are the future” and “children will take their place in the world” but
this fails to fully convey that children are the present and that children have a place in the
world now. They are active in their communities; volunteering and helping their peers;
and are contributing to the well-being of their families and communities.

Children have ideas and opinions about their own situations - be it poverty, health,
parents and parenting, education and crime and violence. Children also have many ideas
on how to solve the problems affecting their communities. When we consult with
children on these issues we are not only fulfilling their basic right to participate, we are
also creating long-term sustainable solutions for their development and for the nation’s
development.

It must be recognized that childhood is not a uniformed life phase. Children’s experience
of their world is continuously changing and is influenced by context, age, gender,



disability, socioeconomic status area of residence and other factors. Thus, it is crucial to
engage with girls and boys of different ages and backgrounds to better understand their
experiences and perspectives to maximize the national benefit.

For Jamaica, there is increasing awareness regarding the importance of child
participation and contribution as an integral element in a family, community and national
development. For this to be effective participation needs to be age appropriate, culturally
acceptable and action oriented.

Articles 12, 13 & 14 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child require States to provide
time and space for children to participate. The Child Care and Protection Act 2004
(CCPA), consistent with the United Nations Conventions of the Rights of the Child, defines
childhood as the period from (birth) 0 -18 years. The CCPA outlines eight best interest
principles for the child, one of which involves the right to participate.

REPORT PERIOD

The period under review is April 1, 2008- July 31, 2010.

METHODOLOGY

The formulation and information gathering and collating process leading to the creation
of Jamaica’s Country Report on Creation of Jamaica’s Country Report on Child
Participation was led by the Liaison Officer with responsibility for Child Participation
under the project “Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Children and Adolescents in
the Inter-American System”. This report seeks to build and expound on the previous
report submitted in 2009.



The method of data collection employed in this effort is outlined below:
1. An inventory was conducted of all State and Non-State Agencies operating in the
Child Care and Protection Sector. At its conclusion, a total of sixty (66) institutions
were short listed.
2. An information gathering template was created and administered accordingly.
3. A team comprising the Technical Liaison Officer, Liaison Officer for Child
Participation and the CDA Public Relations and Communication Manager acted as
an oversight group with responsibility for:

– Developing an action plan to guide the process from start to finish
– Creating and dispatching an introductory letter and Child Participation Fact
Sheet to the over sixty six (66) entities, which were invited to provide
reports. These were delivered by bearers.
– Coordinating the delivery of the request to the Agencies and conducting the
necessary follow-up, in an attempt to clarify issues.

4. Maintain contact with participating agencies via the telephone or email
5. Receive and review completed questionnaires for inputs to inform the report.

Of the sixty six (66) agencies (State and Non-State) invited to report, 20 or 33.3 %
responded, five (5) of which did not provide details of their efforts.

The process proved time-consuming due to limited understanding and knowledge of
child participation. Efforts were made to provide the appropriate guidance on this matter.



SITUATION OF CHILDREN IN JAMAICA1

Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola), with a
total area of 11, 244 square kilometers. Though small geographically, Jamaica is a
dominant force globally in the areas of music, sports, the arts, and academics. Jamaica
has a population of 2.8 Million people, of which 34% are children, with males numbering
491,300 and females 441,200. Overall unemployment rates have remained fairly
constant (since 1995) at approximately 15%. However, the rate of female unemployment
(21%) is twice that of males (10.3%), despite the attainment of higher educational among
females. Women head close to half of Jamaican households (46.3%) and female-headed
households are usually single female-headed households. This means that the single
female is the sole income earner. Children living in 36% of Jamaican households grow up
without an adult male figure.

Children under the age of 14 years comprised just over 28.3% of the population in 2007.
Slightly more boys than girls are born every year (51% and 49% respectively) out of the
yearly birth cohort of 44,000 children. The Jamaican child’s life expectancy at birth is 72.4
years.

Jamaica reports a literacy rate of 86%. Jamaican children aged 3 to 5 are universally
enrolled in an early childhood programme, and more than 97% of primary school aged
children are enrolled in primary or secondary schools. Enrolment rates fall significantly
at the secondary school level, dipping to 71.1% by grades 7-9, with lower rates of
attendance. These factors have resulted in poor performance in the Caribbean Secondary
School Certificate Examination (CSEC), and high drop out rates, especially among boys in
the older age groups.

1 From the National Framework of Action for Children, 2010



The research shows that Jamaican children tend to be healthy. The infant mortality rate
is estimated at 17 per 1,000 live births. The under-five mortality rates or probability of a
child dying before his or her fifth birthday is 20 per 1,000 live births. Immunization
coverage is 85.7% for DPT, OPV, BCG and 31.7% of 3-month babies are exclusively
breast-fed.

Over 30% of adolescents indicated that they worr about the fighting and violence they
see at home, at school and in their communities. Independent predictors of childhood
aggression in Jamaican children were reported to include high levels of exposure to
violence, significant amounts of physical punishment at home, increased crowding in the
home, and limited opportunities for peaceful and legal socio-economic participation.
Conduct disorders in adolescence were found to be associated with mothers being
absent, often to migration, the presence of a negative parental role model, usually a
father, and a number of changes in parenting arrangements.

In 2006, a total of 175 children (149 boys and 26 girls) were murdered or missing, up
from 91 in 2005. In 2006, throughout the island’s public hospitals adolescent boys
represented 24.3% of all stab wounds and were five times more likely to be treated for
gun shot wounds than girls. While boys are principally the victims of intentional injuries,
girls are typically victims of sexual crimes and abuse. A total of 1,389 sexual offences
were reported in 2006. Of that number carnal abuse, (a sexual offense committed against
a girl aged 16 or under) accounted for 31.2%2. Sexual assault and rape against boys, even
when reported to the Police, do not appear in statistics.

Approximately 20% of births in Jamaica are to adolescent girls and teenage girls are
almost three times more likely to become infected with HIV than boys of the same age.

2 Ibid



At the end of March, 2010 total of 5782 children are in the tertiary child protection
system that include Children’s Homes, Place of Safety and Living in Family Environment
Placements.

Jamaica has a rich culture; one which is promoted at all levels. The Cultural policy
embraces the concept of child participation in a meaningful way, by involving children in
both the decision-making aspect as well as the delivery of cultural programs at both the
local community and national levels. This is evident through the involvement of Jamaican
children in sports, church and musical groups at the local, school/parish, national and
international levels. This is especially so in the sporting arena, in areas such as netball,
track and field tennis, table tennis, badminton, cricket, swimming and football.

Children also experience other types of participation around student leadership and
advocacy. Students in secondary and tertiary institutions participate in school clubs such
as Key Clubs, 4H clubs and uniformed groups including the Girl Guides and Boys Scouts.
Students also contribute to the school environment through participation in the school’s
Student’s Council and on the School Board.

Other national initiatives such as the Youth Parliament and its precursor, the Children’s
Parliament, give young people the opportunity to speak on national policy issues at the
highest level. Non-government and faith based organizations also provide opportunities
for leadership growth and development, through activities that range from advocacy and
media initiatives to leadership clubs that operate in community and institutional settings.

Linkages: National Commitments, Policies and Legislative Environment

The Government of Jamaica, with the help of civil society and international development
partners, made some progress in efforts to protect and fulfil the rights of children. Steps
were taken to establish a policy framework, guided by the principles of the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which are



directly or indirectly relevant to the welfare and well-being of children. This policy
framework is buttressed, locally, by the Child Care and Protection Act (CCPA, 2004),
which has spawned legislation in a wide range of areas including child trafficking and
child labour and led to the establishment of key agencies including the Office of the
Children’s Advocate and the Children’s Registry. Other components in this framework are
the Medium Term Social and Economic Framework, and the National Framework of
Action for Children (NFAC) which is currently being developed.

There are a number of commitments to local and international protocols that fully
embrace child participation as a right. Some of these are:

1. Jamaica ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1991. Article
12 of the CRC states that children have the right to express their view and be heard in all
matters affecting them. This article and Articles 13, 14, and 15 establishing the child’s
right to access to information, freedom of belief, and freedom of association, are some of
the important articles that support a child’s right to participation in family, community,
culture and broader civil society. These rights apply to all children irrespective of age,
gender, disability, ethnicity, income etc (article 2 non-discrimination).
2. Child Care and Protection Act (2004) – The legislation seeks to bring Jamaican law
in line with the CRC. It speaks to the importance of child participation. This subscribes
to the “best interest”, principles which govern outcomes for children.
3. Consultation Code – This Policy statement codifies the commitment of the
Government of Jamaica to consult with the Jamaican citizens, including children and
youth on the development of national policies and major programmes
4. CDA Corporate Strategic Plan 2009-2012 –The roadmap to child participation,
guiding the outcomes for our children and their families.
5. National Framework of Action for Children (NFAC) –One of its five goals focuses
on child participation.
6. National Strategic Plan (Draft) for Preadolescent and Adolescent health 2010-
2015.



7. Education Regulation Act 1980- Provides guidance on how students can seek
redress, if it is felt that he or she is unjustly treated and gives the framework for the
establishment of Student Councils to participate and provide input on matters
affecting them.

Child Care and Protection Act (2004)

Jamaica ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in May 1991. This signified a
national commitment to improving the status and condition of our children. It also
provided a focal point for the efforts of non-governmental and State organizations to
heighten public awareness of child rights. The next step was to give the commitment
practical effect by incorporating the principles of the Convention into national legislation,
with the enactment of the Child Care and Protection Act, 2004 (CCPA).

The Act strengthens the capacity of the Jamaica Government to protect children from
abuse, neglect, exploitation and maltreatment. It is supported by several policies and
systems, which are part of a complete package of initiatives aimed at maximizing the care
and protection of the Jamaican child. Section (2) of the Act clearly states that a factor
which should be taken into consideration in determining the child’s best interests is the
child’s ability to form his/her views and, if so, those views and the importance given to
those views.

Sections 88 Sub-Section 1 Part D and 89 of the Child Care and Protection Act 2004 states
that operators of private children’s homes must “Recognize, respect, protect and ensure
the rights that the Act guarantees to children in care”. These are, the right:-
o To be fed, clothed and nurtured according to prescribed minimum standards and
to be given the same quality of care as other children in the placement,
o To be consulted and accordingly to the child’s abilities, to express views about
significant decisions affecting him/her;
o To reasonable privacy and to possession of personal belongings;



o To be free from corporal punishment;
o To be informed of the standard of behaviour expected by the caregivers and of the
consequences of not meeting that standard;
o To receive medical (including psychological care) and dental care when required;
o To participate in social and recreational activities appropriate to the child’s
abilities and interests;
o To receive the religious instructions, and, as far as may be reasonably practicable,
to participate in the religious activities of his/her choice;
o To be provided with an interpreter, if language or disability is a barrier to
consulting with the child on decisions affecting custody or care;
o To privacy during discussions with a family member or a legal representative;
o To be informed about and to be assisted if the child so wishes, to make contact
with the Children’s Advocate; and
o To be informed of his/her rights under the Act and the procedures available for
enforcing those rights.



PUBLIC POLICY ON CHILD & ADOLESCENT PARTICIPATION

Child Participation is facilitated by the State and is made possible through the Child Care
& Protection Act of 2004. The Act outlines meaningful participation as one of eight best
interest principles for the child. No one Agency was named as the implementer of child
participation. However, in 2009, the CDA took the decision to drive the process in a more
meaningful way, through its Corporate Strategic Plan 2009-2012, with the first phase
being to fully understand the principle of Child participation and build its experience
before engaging at a National level.

Currently, entities in Jamaica do not carry child participation activities as a line item in
their budget. However, child participation activities are provided for under broader
projects as is evident from the experience we have seen. Agencies who contributed to the
formulation of this report indicate that between 2008 to march 2010 they spent a
consolidated amount of JMD$1, 408,966,300.66 or USD$ 16, 383, 329.08 on child
participation activities which directly impacted/engaged over 9, 397 children and
adolescents, participating in 146 sessions over 706 days and 21 hours. See Table 1 for
further details. Majority of this was provided by the Government of Jamaica, international
donor partners and local based non-governmental organizations.

The programmes through which child participation were facilitated are:

– Development of Audio Public Service Announcements (PSAs)
– Caribbean Child Development Centre’s Child Rights education Project phase 1
– Baseline Study on the situation of the Promotion and Protection of the Rights
of Children and adolescents in Jamaica
– Kingston Centre Counselling Clinic or KEY Clinic (knowledge and education for
youth)
– GOJ/EC/UNFPA – Joint programme on Sexual and Reproductive Health



– HIV/AIDS Prevention Education – A Gendered Perspective
– The Male Desk – Public Education and mentorship programes in schools
established three (3) male youth mentorship programmes in schools in
Kingston and St. Andrew (9-17yrs), Established six (6) male action groups
among males from church, community and civic society
– Public Information Campaign – IDEVAW, NATFATIO Committee, Schools
education programme, Inter-American year of Women
– Policy and Legislation – the Education Act, the Maternity Leave Act, Teenage
Pregnancy Policy, Poor Relief law
– 4H Club Project
– Courtney Walsh Cricket Foundation Programme
– Hush the Guns Programme
– Male Reproductive Health
– Goat Rearing and Rabbit Care
– Rewards and Privileges
– ANANDA ALERT
– School Safety and Security programme
– Institutionalization of DevInfo (JamStats)
– An Intervention to Address Behavioural Problems including Violence and
Aggression in schools
– Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social & Economic Studies – Caribbean Child
Research Conference
– Boys Brigade Jamaica
– The National Festival o f the Arts
– The Entertainment Arts
– Culinary Arts Competition
– Creative Writing Competition and Exhibition
– National Visual Arts and Exhibition Competition
– Participation in Tourism Awareness competitions – Essay and Poster
– Tourism Awareness Talks and exhibitions done at schools



– Spruce Up Jamaica Summer Intern Programme
– Spruce up Jamaica Essay Competition
– Spruce Up Jamaica Youth Expo and Career day
– International Coastal Clean Up Day (ICC)
– ICC
– Youth development training

The objectives of these programmes were:

– To sensitize the public about child abuse and the importance of reporting child
abuse
– To promote child rights by increasing learners’ knowledge of child rights
principles and provisions, of children’s evolving capacities and by providing
the tools and techniques to facilitate meaningful child participation and
implement a rights based approach to children and children’s issues.
– IIN-OAS, inter-agency cooperation with Rise Life Management, YMCA, Children
First, CDA, Places of Safety
– Confidential counseling for children of any age and Peer Counsellors Training.
– To produce Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) material for adolescents; adults
males including men with disabilities
– To promote behavior change and risk reduction in response to the
feminization of HIV/AIDS pandemic and its correlates to gender based
Violence
– The goal is to strengthen personal autonomy through access to information on
human rights to make sexual and reproductive health decision free of coercion
– To become competent members of society
– To ensure positive social change in the lives of wards
– To promote wards’ positive attitude towards peers, and enhance behavioural
patterns
– To improve literacy and behaviour



– To build team spirit and cooperation
– To build culinary skills
– To get wards to be aware of their reproductive system
– To teach wards how to care for rabbits and rear goats
– To modify wards behaviour through cognitive behavioural intervention
– To promote a culture of research among high school students across the Island
by facilitating presentation of students research and awarding the most
outstanding child researcher and teacher
– To recognize the work of child researchers in child related issues by awarding
the top ten child presenters
– To promote habits of obedience, reverence, self respect and all that lends
towards true Christian manliness to 60 boys
– To train and equip children and adolescents with mediation and dispute
resolution skills, as well as child rights education violence prevention
techniques.
– To identify factors which predispose and precipitate violence and aggression
by way of focus group and one to one discussions
– To identify both specific and general triggers through personal interviews and
self participating in educational experiences that involve constructive
problem-solving activities
– To help students to harness fact-based personal constructs and emotive
motivations to shape productive directions in their lives
– To aid students in the realization that development of realistic self-knowledge,
coupled with psychological problem-solving skills, increases the likelihood of
positive school outcome, career satisfaction and fulfilling life.
– Articulate the vision of safe school
– Clarify the stakeholders’ role in the Safe Schools programme
– Conduct a situation analysis
– Identify critical next steps for the Safe Schools programme.



– To ensure the rapid and seamless dissemination of information of information
on missing children immediately after they go missing
– To ensure the safe recovery of all missing children
– To expose young minds to the Tourism product and the range of available
careers
– For youngsters to express their views on the Tourism product
– Interaction between students and stakeholders in the industry towards better
understanding and career development
– To garner a child’s perspective on various topics and to build self confidence.
– Improve the knowledge of the students on tourism
– The primary objectives are to foster the development of talents and to
adequately expose them.
– To develop the creative talents of participants for entry into the creative
industry.
– To showcase and preserve culinary skills for professional and entrepreneurial
development
– To foster development of the literary arts landscape development locally. The
competition provides additional training and encourages participants to
express their creative talent in writing.
– To showcase the creative talents of Jamaican in visual arts islandwide

The contributions of children and adolescents who participated in the programme were
utilized to:
– Strengthen the ANANDA alert system and to assist with conducting
investigations to bring perpetrators to justice,
– Address immediate issues identified within the process and within the scope of
the intervention
– Develop a project based on initial intervention at the specific school
– Create a replicable model for other similar schools



– Facilitate work of Child researchers whose inputs will be incorporated into
publication for dissemination to both children and adults.
– Used as a guide to implementing skills training and planning competitions.
– Used as a guide to improving the effectiveness of the programme
– Improve mentors’ efficiency in facilitating the programme
– Peer to peer engagements
– Inform the recommendation for legislation to address the status of persons
affected by HIV/AIDS; age appropriate programming
– Decision making in Sexual & Reproductive Health (SRH) issues. Assisting
schools’ guidance counselors
– Development of Behavior, Change and Communication (BCC) materials
– Contribute to the course development of training programmes
– Bring children and stakeholders together so that they can hear the opinions of
children’s on matters such as child rights; their expectations of duty-bearers
and of their peers
– Provide feedback on levels of awareness of the specific target groups; Tourism
action club (TAC), Environmental and 4H club members
– Information to Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) for international body for
world statistics.
– Enhance programmatic solutions directed at children.

Training in relation to Child Participation is delivered as part of Child Development or
Child Rights training programme that is usually facilitated by tertiary institutions such as
the Caribbean Child Development Centre (CCDC) UWI, University of the West Indies
(UWI) and University of Technology (UTECH). Those programmes are mostly directed at
adults as caregivers, those working as child mentors and others.

There are a number of institutions and Non-Government Organizations who are
responsible for promoting programs or projects to encourage the participation of
children and adolescents. The Child development Agency is playing a key role in the



process; however other Agencies such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour &
Social security, Planning Institute of Jamaica, Office of the Children’s Advocate, Office of
the Children’s Registry, Early Childhood Commission, Ministry of Health, Ministry of
Justice, Jamaica Constabulary Force/Centre of Investigation for Sexual Offences and Child
Abuse, Victim Support Unit, Children’s First, Hear the Children Cry who are required to
provide services to children are required to put programmes in place to enable
meaningful Child Participation. See below for a summary of Child Participation activities
embarked on by some of these Agencies.

Child Development Agency
The Agency has been actively strengthening a number of strategic objectives, with
activities aimed at having children participate in its operations. Inputs or feedback
received are used to guide policy and decision-making. Some of the activities are:
Corporate Strategic Planning: One of the Child Development Agency’s strategic
objectives is the Advocacy of Children’s Rights. Two of the strategies that will be carried
out during the period 2009 – 2012 are (a) 1.4 - “CDA’s activities are delivered with
significant input and participation from children”, and (b) 1.5 - “Prepare cadre of children
to act as a resource support to be engage in peer to peer presentation and other
participation programmes where participants are children.” These are part of the
Agency’s ongoing effort of ensuring that enough opportunities are created for children to
be incorporated in the planning and decision-making processes involving issues
impacting them. Corporate Strategic Planning 2009 – 2012 – Child Focus Group
Sessions: The Agency coordinated three child focus group sessions in which 39 children
participated. The sessions were organized as part of its corporate strategic planning
process. Of the total number of children participating, approximately 29 were from the
residential child care sector in and the Foster Care placement programme with the
remaining being ‘out of care’ children pulled from high schools in the Kingston
Metropolitan area.



Institution Monitoring and Regulation
The Child Development Agency has a core of five Monitoring Officers spread across the
four regions of the island. In addition to their core function of ensuring the maintenance
of standards and regulations within the Residential Child Care Facilities, Monitoring
Officers facilitate almost daily engagements with the children to air their complaints,
concerns or recommendations to enhance service delivery. A Complaints Policy is in place
to speedily address any complaint that is made in confidential ways to protect the
identity of the child or adolescent. Moreover impromptu and scheduled meetings are also
held to facilitate child participation in the system of governance in addition to identifying
and correcting any detected breach of the C.C.P.A. or Standards of Care. The team met
with 4,558 children in 2008 and 3,467 children in 2009 and their inputs used to shows
improvements with in-service delivery while living in RCCFs.

Children Management Day: In 2008 the management team at the Manning Boy’s Home
initiated and coordinated a Children’s Day where the children were given the opportunity
to manage the operations of the facility for a day. The intent was to get the children more
involved, while building character and leadership skills and qualities. The feedback was
excellent and we have seen some improvements in child to staff and child to child
relationships. To this end plans are far advanced for the establishment of Children’s
Councils in GOJ and privately operated residential child care facilities. Over 10 Councils
comprising of 8-12 children will be established and children trained by November 30,
2010.

Child Friendly Version of the Child Care and Protection Act 2004: The Child
Development Agency in collaboration with UNICEF created and distributed a child-
friendly version of the Child Care and Protection Act targeting children ages 13 – 17
years, and a similar booklet targeting children ages 7 – 12 years. It is important to note
that children from both age cohorts were consulted in drafting the child-friendly version
of the Act prior to their finalization and distribution island-wide. Prior to the
distribution booklet to the 13 – 17 age cohorts, over 3,500 children were allowed to



participate in a survey (pre-test) to test their knowledge of the Act. A similar survey
(post test) was conducted involving an additional 3,500 children to determine the level of
improvement in the knowledge-base of the children. This material has been uploaded to
the Agency’s website. A pre-test survey was also conducted involving approximately
3,800 children in the 7 – 12 age cohort aimed at determining how knowledgeable the
children were of the Child Care and Protection Act. Over 12 children participated in the
content and illustration designs of the books.

Life in Care Interview: The Agency has engaged over sixty children in the design and
testing of the Life in Care Exit Interview targeting adolescents 16 years and over. Their
inputs were received and contributed in the final product which has since been placed in
production.

Candle Light Vigil: The Child Development Agency organized and invited the
participation of corporate Jamaica and civil society in its Annual Candle Light Vigil which
was held at the Emancipation Park and was attended by over 3,000 individuals (adults &
children). The vigil was organized as part of the commemoration of World Day for the
Prevention of Child Abuse. This was another participatory exercise for children in State
Care and pockets of the society to play an active role during the event’s proceedings.

Website Development: Five children helped to guide the development of the Agency’s
corporate website which was launched in 2006. The site is used for information
purposes on the various services & programmes as well as child-friendly edutainment
and provides a means of communication for those wishing to relay messages or to make
suggestions on key services areas.

Office of the Children’s Advocate

The Office of the Children’s Advocate engaged children in a series of consultation sessions
which were held to sensitize them about the Agency and its role. Children were allowed



to participate in various discussion topics, relayed challenges in areas affecting them both
at home, school and in the community and were allowed to make recommendations for
consideration. Areas of discussion centered around; (a) child rights and responsibilities,
(b) child abuse, (c) use of corporal punishment, (d) lack of leisure and rest, and (e) crime
and violence and its impact on the child. The sessions were facilitated by a number of
youths trained to carry out such sessions.

Office of the Public Defender

The Office of the Public Defender has also had instances where they have had to advocate
on the behalf of children and their families.

Office of the Children’s Registry

The Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR) started its operations in January 2007. In June
2007, the Regulations governing the operations of the Office of the Children’s Registry
was passed in the House of Parliament, Jamaica.

The Child Care and Protection Act created a legal obligation to report knowledge or
suspicion that a child has been, is being or is likely to be abandoned, neglected, physically
or sexually ill-treated or otherwise in need of care and protection (as defined under
section.8 of the C.C.P.A.). This legal obligation extends to every member of society, but is
particularly emphasized for a range of “prescribed persons” listed under s.6 (1) of the Act
– largely persons who, in their occupation acquire a duty of care towards children.
Prescribed Persons are:
o A physician, nurse, dentist or mental health professional,
o An administrator of a hospital facility,
o A school principal, teacher or other teaching professional,
o A social worker or other social service professional,
o An owner, operator or employee of a child day care center or other child
care institution,



o A guidance counselor, or
o Any other person who by virtue of his employment or occupation has a
responsibility to discharge a duty of care towards a child.
Under S. 5, the CCPA makes provisions for the creation of a Children’s Registry to which
reports of child abuse, neglect and need for care and protection should be made.

The Office of the Children’s Registry is responsible for receiving, recording and routing
reports of maltreatment of children: who have been abused, are being abused or are
likely to be abused. These reports are then routed to the Child Development Agency
and/or the Office of the Children’s Advocate which are named as first respondents in such
matters. Additionally, reports indicating clear and imminent danger to the child should
also be routed to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) – Centre for Investigation of
Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA).

Office of the Prime Minister
Students for Transformation is a group of young persons who presently operate out of
the Office of the Prime Minister. This group, formed in 2009, comprised the Head Prefects
Association and Representatives of Student Councils in the Corporate area of Kingston
and St. Andrew. The group’s main concern was the violence associated with the ISSA
Girls’ and Boys’ Championships a calendar 4 day event (generally held in March / April)
held at the National Stadium in which High and Secondary Schools across the island
compete in different sporting activities. These children and adolescents dreamed of
having a non-violent Championship and later met with representatives from the National
Transformation Programme to strengthen their initiative. They communicated their
message through a number of sensitization sessions at different schools facilitated by the
Management of the Schools in their time allotted for General Assembly and Devotion and
through Seminars including Head Prefects of particular schools.

Students for Transformation have been expanding to include the the development of
programmes that promote youth empowerment, volunteerism and national



transformation. It presently has membership across approximately 20 Secondary
Educational Institutions and has widened its reach to sensitizations at the Primary level
of the Educational strata. Its ultimate aim is to extend its influence to all levels of the
Educational system.

The group is taking steps to produce a Radio Programme dubbed “Talk yu talk, yute’ and
a Television version “Youth a yaad”, it is a youth oriented, solution based programme for
children and adolescents to participate by voicing their concerns or issues and in
recommending solutions to address them. This child and adolescent participatory
programme is being supported by a number of media Houses and is expected to come on
in December 2010.

Ministry of Health and the Environment
The Ministry of Health and Environment has utilized youth actors and others in helping
to spread the message of prevention and care in HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted
diseases and on the issue of reproductive health.

Planning Institute of Jamaica
The Planning Institute of Jamaica has played a key role in embracing inputs from children
in a number of its activities. The organization held consultation sessions with children
and youth from over 25 high / secondary schools in the Kingston and St. Andrew
metropolitan area, St. Catherine and St. Thomas in the Vision 2030 Jamaica - National
Development Plan process. This was facilitated through the hosting of special focus
group discussions with approximately 1, 200 students in the 15 to 18 age group, fifth &
sixth formers, disaggregated in seven clusters from over 25 schools in Kingston & St.
Andrew, St. Catherine and St. Thomas. They were the first target group to be consulted in
the formulation of the Plan. The questions listed below formed the basis for the
discussions.



 What do you want Jamaica to be like in 25 years?
 What does being a developed country mean to you?
 Is there any country that you would like Jamaica to emulate or to be like?
 What are the main elements of society that we need to change to achieve our
vision?

Youth from community groups and students from schools across the island also provided
useful feedback to inform the Plan, during their participation in the year-long process of
island wide public consultations. Their involvement was facilitated by the Social
Development Commission (SDC).
Consultations on the Gender Sector Plan were held with over forty children ages 15 – 18
years participating.

Non-Governmental Organizations
A number of initiatives aimed ensuring that our children play an integral role in our
discussion and decision making process has been led by non-governmental organizations.
Some of these efforts are listed below:

o Jamaica has benefited from the advocacy and representation made on behalf of
children by Non-Governmental Organizations such as Hear the Children’s Cry
and Children First. Apart from giving the child a voice, they continue to work
with agencies such as the Child Development Agency and the Office of the
Children’s Advocate in providing support through counseling and other
interventions aimed at bringing national awareness to child abuse and
exploitation and also providing assistance to victims in the recovery and re-
integration processes.
o Youth Intervention Strategies delivered through the Police Youth Clubs and the
Social Development Commission provide a means of involving youth in
community outreach and development and positive mentorship programmes.



o Youth Development Programme: engaged over 2,000 youth ages 6 – 16 years
during 2008 in youth development programmes geared at facilitating improved
academic performance.
o Child Research Conference: The fourth staging of the of the Caribbean Child
Research Conference was held at the Jamaica Conference Centre on October 20-
21, 2010 as a collaborative effort with the University of the West Indies, United
Nations Children Fund, Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, Caribbean Child
Development Centre, Child Development Agency, Office of the Children’s Advocate,
Planning Institute of Jamaica and others. The theme of this years conference was
“Five Years before 2015: the MGD’s (Millennium Development Goals) and
Child Rights in the Caribbean” under its broad goal of Promoting Child Rights
through Research. Presentations covered a number of themes of which child
participation took centre stage on the second day of the Conference. A number of
youth representing a good cross section of the society delivered research on
current issues and issues affecting them in their own home and school
communities. They reported the findings of their investigations complete with
recommendations to resolve or at least minimize the incidences of exposing the
child to harm or for the child or adolescent to act in a way that would put him or
her at risk of physical or moral danger. were engaged in both the planning as well
as used to deliver key note presentations as well as allowed to participate in the
different discussion topics / sessions facilitated at the conference. Plans to include
and involve children in the staging of the conference are a fixture since its
inception in 2006.
o National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD): The NCYD in collaboration
with a range of agencies coordinate programmes and activities related to youth
development in Jamaica. During 2009, the NCYD coordinated the National Student
Council Week under the theme “Taking responsibility” and the theme for 2010
was ‘Accepting the challenge raising the standards”. Activities focused on
promoting the voice of the youth on issues that affect them such as the re-
integration of teenage months in the formal secondary school system, the use of



cellular phones in schools and the use of metal detectors in schools. At the
beginning of academic year 2010 a number of theses recommendations are now a
reality in several schools as a means of protecting and promoting a safer
environment for children to live and work and learn.
o Jamaica Youth Ambassadors Programme (JAYAP): Youth Leadership was
promoted through the Jamaica Youth Ambassadors Programme, under which
youth serve on several boards and committees. The 2008 – 2010 Youth
Ambassador Corps, comprising seven males and seven females, was appointed in
May 2008. A selection process is now in place to appoint another Corps to serve
another two years. The Corps included two CARICOM Youth Ambassadors, one
Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, one Alternate Commonwealth Youth
Ambassador, one Positive Living Youth Ambassador to the Commonwealth, two
Youth Ambassadors to the United Nations General Assembly and seven Youth
Ambassadors At-Large, with the latter being assigned to areas such as Culture,
Peace, Rural Areas and Environment, Disabilities, Healthy Lifestyles, Livelihood
and the Organization of the Americas.
o National Youth Month which is usually celebrated in November provides young
people with the chance to participate in activities geared at improving their self-
esteem and exposing them to positive role models. It is expected that over 15,000
youth will participate in the Youth Month activities in November 2010 under the
theme “Jamaican Youth organizing, integrating and participating for development.
Major activities include the Prime Minister’s Youth Awards for Excellence, a Youth
and Ministers Forum where Youth Parliamentarians will have the opportunity to
meet with Ministers of Government and make recommendations, and a Street
Youth Stakeholders Consultation with the aim of developing a plan of action
towards engaging youth living and working on the streets.
o Child Month Committee (CMC): The CMC comprises a group from government
and non-governmental organizations with responsibility for planning and
execution of events to commemorate May, of each year, as Child Month. This is an
annual thematic celebration wherein a particular area of focus is highlighted not



only through electronic media but in every pocket of society to identify and
support the most vulnerable among the children. There is a general promotion for
children to participate and play lead roles in schools, church services, the launch of
Child Month Activities as well as to act as key note speakers at some fora
organized by the Committee.
o Children’s Coalition of Jamaica is a combination of NGO’s and Government
Agencies whose aim is to create and develop opportunities for child participation
and is based on the UNCRC rights of the child to participate. This Coalition has as
its major thrust the resumption of the Children’s Helpline an opportunity for
children to call for help with any issue that they have. This helpline will be created
to provide a conduit to the Child Protection services in the island. In addition the
Coalition will provide training around child participation to increase the capacity
of children and adolescents to participate in different settings.

Based on experiences, children are engaged and their inputs used to inform public
policies; however no direct action has been taken to promote the dissemination of these
Child Participation experiences on a National level.

The planned approach facilitated by this project will address the matter of including
vulnerable and excluded groups in a more fulsome way in the near future.



IMPACT

Child engagement also had some impact on other children by virtue of the programmes
implemented by participating Agencies. Some of the improvements highlighted were:
– Children were provided with a forum in which to express their opinions, be
heard and considered. The learners and trainers gained insight into the
children’s perspectives,
– Behavioural change,
– Improved capacity of children for self assessment,
– Greater display of internal locus of control,
– Improved interaction with others,
– More positive academic output,
– Increased capacity of students to utilize JamStats in research activities
– Children’s perspective as it relates to the Safe Schools’ Programme strengths,
opportunities and threats and recommendation for improvement
– A refinement of the Safe Schools Vision – making it more student focus
– Greater awareness
– Improved safety and security
– Contributed to the formulation of a training programme that reaches at least
50 peer counselors annually
– Provision of medical service at lest once per week (when Doctor is available)
– Increased awareness of SRH issues and risks among adolescents
– HIV/AIDS Prevention Education
– Inform a Public Information Campaign
– Policy and Legislation
– Improvements in organization and delivery of competitions in terms of prizes,
marketing and public relations, production delivery, décor or events, events
beginning on time and improved standards
– Sustenance of entertainment, cultural and educational values
– Unearthing of and the development of talents among children and adolescents



– Increased exposure of participants for social and economic development
– To ensure that all participants are trained and certified through HEART
– Children and adolescents act as mentors to their peers and have learnt to adapt
positive attributes and work ethical.

Notwithstanding the impact registered by participating Agencies the process of
measuring the impact of the various experiences on child participation proved
challenging. Based on experience it will take time for Jamaicans to truly embrace all
elements of child participation, especially in a culture where our children are expected to
be seen but not heard. As this belief slips further away from our subconscious to the
reality that our children have a right to participate and indeed can make meaningful
contributions to nation building. The experience of the Students for Transformation and
the Student Council Association will see children and adolescents taking their place in
response to issues that affect them. Additionally, a number of the Agencies who
responded to the call for report indicated that there was some improvement in the
quality of life of children who participated. It is clear that the child engagement process
has some impact on other children by virtue of the programmes implemented by
participating Agencies.

Children are considered the main beneficiaries under the programmes initiated by
Institutions within Jamaica. The inputs gained were instrumental in guiding the policy
making arm of the Agencies involved.



EVALUATION

A number of mechanisms were employed by State Agencies and non-government
organizations to evaluate the impact of child participation programmes in which they
were engaged. Some of the mechanisms were:

– Informal evaluation and de-briefing with the children immediately following
their presentation.
– Formal evaluation of the children’s panel presentation by learners and trainers
– Evaluation forms completed at the end of the session
– Survey and gap Assessment Report completed
– Knowledge base assessment of SRH among children in 5 schools
– Sex-disaggregated data was collected and used to assist with evaluation
component of each
– Participation in competitions at zone, parish and national levels
– Evaluation forms, self assessment, monitoring evaluation, interview with
participants
– Competitions to evaluate aptitude and adeptness in skill training areas. End of
Term Examinations have also been conducted.

Children and Adolescents were given opportunities to participate in the evaluation
process and to provide inputs on prescribed instrument. There were instances where
children were allowed to provide verbal feedback and those captured accordingly by the
participating State Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations.

Strides are being made within Government and Non Governmental Organizations. The
basic premise is that as children grow older their sense of responsibility increases and as
they move towards taking their place in the community, society,



world of work and the global village they need to make their voices heard as they input
energy into the world that they will live in. Unfortunately many people still feel
threatened by the voice of a child but this is a non negotiable indicator to the progress of
a country.

PERSPECTIVES AND PROJECTIONS
As our Government struggles with its massive debt, burden replicating the presented
programmes within the State sector will be a challenge. Focused effort, therefore, has to
be made on sustaining and strengthening the existing programmes of child participation
which enlarge the drag net of the vulnerable children and adolescents who need to be
included in decisions that affect them. On the other hand, corporate Jamaica should be
encouraged to make this investment in the lives the children and adolescents who we are
grooming to become tomorrow’s leaders.

SUGGESTIONS

It is necessary for Jamaica, guided by the CDA under this project, to embark on a massive
education drive that effectively communicates the core tenets of child participation and
influences wider public appreciation. This initiative should target educating State
Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations on child participation, what it is, why it is
necessary and how it can be facilitated. This can be achieved under the project
‘Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Children and Adolescents in the Inter-
American System’.

The IIN is to accept this report as an interim one, with the final report to be submitted by
December 17, 2010.

The project is to schedule the preparation of a Country report on Child Participation in at
least 3 months prior to its end, which is to be used as part of the overall evaluation of the
effectiveness of the child participation component.



Table 1: Summary of child participation activities by State and Non-State Bodies.
No. Name of organization Number of children who participated Total Number of Number of Child Participation Activities
0 – 5 yrs 6-12 yrs 13-17 yrs 18-24 yrs hours engaged conducted
M F M F M F M F M F 2008 2009 2010
1. Caribbean Child Development Centre 4 4 6 9 10 13 6 1 2
2. Environmental Foundation of Jamaica * * * * * * 1
3. University of the West Indies 14 6 14 6 ongoing ongoing
(started in
2005)
4. JamStats Secretariat 2 hrs 1 in 2007

5. Ministry of Education 1 day 1

6. Office of the Children’s Registry 5 4 5 4 2 hrs 1
7. OPM – Dept of Local Government ongoing 1 ongoing
programme
8. Women’s Centre of Jamaica 1 in 92 which is 2003
Foundation ongoing
9. Jamaica Cultural Development
Commission
10. Department of Correctional Services 60 49 60 49 6mnth – 1 yr 1 2 2
11. Bureau of Women’s Affairs 410 1225 410 1225 1 2
12. Child Development Agency 1754 1756 2045 2033 5 8 3804 3797 341 days & 10 60 40 20
hrs
13. Ministry of Tourism 222 442 633 10 12 days 6 2
30
14. Jamaica Cultural Development 24 weeks
commission
15. National Youth Service 23 weeks 2 1 1
Total 1763 1764 2535 3322 5 8 4303 5094 706 days & 21 67 53 26
hrs
** Actual number of children is unknown


Cda jamaicas-national-country-report-2010

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