Letter of the Day | Child abuse knows no postcode
Published:Tuesday | August 12, 2025 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
There’s a dangerous assumption in Jamaica whispered too often: “That only happens downtown.” It’s not just wrong – it’s deadly. Child abuse knows no boundaries. It does not stop at the gates of Cherry Gardens, nor does it confine itself to Tivoli Gardens.
It creeps across postcodes from the highest hills to the smallest tenement yard, from luxury homes to crowded classrooms. It thrives wherever silence, shame, and lack of accountability allow it to hide.
“No mek weh yuh live blind yuh to di pain weh deh right near yuh.”
Abuse does not respect income, last names, or reputations. It can wear a school uniform, a battered shoe, or a business suit. It can live next door, even behind manicured lawns and locked gates.
According to the Child Protection & Family Services Agency (CPFSA), between January 2019 and December 2020 there were 43,312 reported cases of child abuse about 60 every single day. That’s more than two full classrooms of children hurt daily for two years.
The Jamaica Violence Against Children and Youth Survey 2023 found that over three in four Jamaican children experience violence in their lifetime. Sexual violence figures are alarming: 23.7 per cent of girls and 11.7 per cent of boys report experiencing sexual violence before 18.
These are not faceless statistics they are children in our homes, schools, and churches, carrying invisible wounds that last a lifetime.
In wealthier areas, abuse is often hidden by influence and the fear of scandal. “We don’t want this to get out” becomes the excuse for silence. In poorer communities, abuse may be normalised, perpetuated by poverty, overcrowding, and limited access to mental health support.
The harm is the same whether it is emotional neglect in a penthouse or sexual exploitation in a one-room house.
Protecting our children means rejecting the false belief that abuse belongs to one side of town. It requires:
• Enforcing mandatory reporting laws without exceptions.
• Training teachers, faith leaders, and community workers to recognise and report abuse.
• Swift justice to avoid retraumatising survivors.
• Accessible services, including counsellors and safe houses in every parish.
• A cultural shift so safety is a right, not a privilege.
From Cherry Gardens to Tivoli Gardens, Stony Hill to Flankers, every Jamaican child deserves safety. The myth shields perpetrators. The truth is abuse is everywhere, and so must be our vigilance, compassion, and action.
AFRICKA STEPHENS
Executive Founder
Fi We Children Foundation