Children suffering through or at risk of abuse, as well as individuals who witness or suspect such abuse, will next soon have a new avenue for getting help.

Fayval Williams, minister of education, youth and information, in making her contribution to the 2021-2022 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (April 28), said her ministry would be launching a 211 child abuse helpline in May.

Williams told parliamentarians that the move follows approval from the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR).

“This helpline will be manned 24 hours by childcare professionals and will be a significant addition to the child-protection ecosystem. We will be launching 211 during this year’s Child Month (in May) and a further announcement will be made on the technical aspects of this important initiative,” she said.

OPTION TO JAIL ‘UNCONTROLLABLE’ CHILDREN TO BE REMOVED FROM LAW

Turning to other measures to strengthen childcare and protection, Williams said the ministry has drafted a Cabinet submission to amend the Child Care and Protection Act to remove an aspect of Section 24 under which a judge may make a correctional order in respect of a child brought before the court.

“This will be repealed and replaced with an option for the court to make a therapeutic order. This is an important development, as it will finally end the practice of labelling our children uncontrollable and placing them in penal institutions without charge,” she said, promising that the submission would be made to Cabinet soon.

Williams said her ministry was also in the process of drafting a comprehensive adoption policy, with the expectation that the policy and Adoption Act would be tabled in the next fiscal year.

“Since being brought into effect in 1958, the Children (Adoption of) Act has not been subjected to a comprehensive process of being reviewed and updated. There is the need for a substantive revision and reformulation of adoption legislation that will address the evolving needs of modern Jamaican society,” she said.