Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang says the recent acts of violence committed against women and girls are a stain on Jamaica’s national character and promised that such acts would not be tolerated.

Chang said these acts of violence would be met with the full force of the law.

He revealed in a statement that the violent incidents are deeply troubling and that they are not only criminal violations but moral ones, adding that they are offences against Jamaica’s “shared values of decency, justice and human dignity”.

He said that the incidents have also caused national outrage, inflicted deep pain on families and communities and have shaken the moral conscience of society.

These incidents include the discovery last Saturday of skeletal remains believed to be those of Anisa Dilworth, a missing University of Technology (UTECH) student on a beach in St Catherine, the physical assault of a nurse in uniform, in a road rage incident in Mount Friendship, St Andrew last Tuesday, and the strangulation and assault of nine-year-old, Kelsey Ferrigon.

“As minister of national security, let me state unequivocally—violence against women and children will not be tolerated! These acts will be met with the full force of the law,” Chang said, adding that these atrocities were occurring during National Child’s Month, a time meant to affirm individual commitment to the safety, well-being and future of the nation’s children.

Chang said that the Andrew Holness government remains steadfast in its commitment to the safety and security of women and girls, and by extension, the children of Jamaica, promising that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

He commended members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) for their swift, thorough and professional investigations into these public-interest cases, while outlining that their efforts, supported by the vigilance and cooperation of responsible citizens, have led to the apprehension of suspects and the swift progression of these matters in the criminal justice system.

“We will not rest until our homes, our streets, and our communities are safe for every Jamaican,” he added.