KINGSTON, Jamaica - A near 900 percent increase in the number of child abuse cases has been recorded in Jamaica bythe Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR), according to the Jamaica Information Service (JIS).
JIS reports that the OCR’s Registrar, Carla Edie, as saying the number of reported complaints of child abuse in 2007 stood at 425 and increased to a staggering 3 784 during 2008.
While it is possible that the increase indicates more children are being subjected to situations of abuse, Edie said the increase is as a result of “persons becoming increasingly mindful of their legal responsibility to report such incidents and the genuine concern that they have for the safety of children, particularly in light of the recent violent acts against children. (There are) more individuals are now aware of the role of the OCR as the body responsible for receiving, recording and referring reports of child abuse…"
Of the seven categories of abuse under which reports have fallen, Edie, according to JIS, said the highest numbers of reported cases were recorded in the “child in need of care and protection”, “neglect” and “physical abuse” cases. Other categories include sexual abuse, incest, carnal abuse and truancy.
The Registrar has encouraged persons who suspect there is a child who is being abused or who is likely to be abused to contact the Registry. She said reports made to the Registry could be done on condition of anonymity and would be confidential.
The Registry can be contacted via telephone at 1-888-PROTECT, 822-7031 or 878-2822.
JIS informs that reports are forwarded to the Office of the Children’s Advocate and or the CDA for investigation, except in situations where a child is in impending danger. In such a case, the information is forwarded to the JFC’s Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA)
"It is not your responsibility to prove that it is true. If you have reasonable suspicion, please call the Registry," Mrs. Edie appealed, warning that, "if someone has information of suspected child abuse and fails to make a report to the Registry, that person can be charged a maximum fee of $500,000 or/and six months imprisonment."
Jamaica News