Head of Cooperation for Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Jamaica Aniceto Rodriguez Ruiz outlined that the EU has been supporting Caribbean and Latin American countries in their fight against organised violence and will continue to lend support.

Ruiz, who was making a presentation at the report launch and discussion on Tuesday, February 18, for the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI), highlighted that in 2014, the EU agreed on a strategy for public security—a strategy that acknowledged that crime and violence were the main obstacles against the full development of countries in Latin America and in the Caribbean.

“This strategy stresses the need for a regional consensus on public safety having a human development approach. The strategy notes that in situations of insecurity, citizens tend to lose confidence in the state’s ability to provide social services,” he said.

He highlighted that this is dangerous because the gap that the state leaves is often filled by organised crime. “This strategy committed the EU to strengthening the capacity of regional governments to deliver quality public services that will contribute to achieving public security for all—for women, for men, but also for boys and girls,” he added.

Ruiz further stated that in 2020, the EU Delegation committed to supporting the citizens’ security plan of the government of Jamaica. “Through the Citizen Security Budget Support Programme (CSBP), the EU has committed 20 million euros, which is roughly J$3.5 billion to the security plan of Jamaica.

“This programme includes the process of establishing, strengthening, and protecting democratic civic order, eliminating threats of violence in a population, and allowing for safe and peaceful coexistence. In essence, it is a holistic approach to securing peace through targeted state action directed at improving the lives of all persons regardless of gender, vulnerabilities, or any other differences.”

Benefits of the Citizens Security Programme

He also mentioned that the Citizens Security Programme continues to support the government of Jamaica’s reform of their approach to crime and violence through coordinated government interventions, informed by evidence-based data and focused on prevention.

“This includes providing financial assistance in the form of budget support to enable government agencies to deliver core social services and initiatives within the most vulnerable communities,” he said. “Second, the programme has also provided highly specialised technical assistance in the form of experts, research, and training to improve delivery mechanisms, coordination, quality, and effectiveness of interventions to the target populations. Finally, this programme has a component in providing funds to support civil society participation in the implementation of initiatives that have a deeper reach to beneficiaries.”

He also emphasises that though this programme is coming to an end, there are current discussions between the EU and the Government of Jamaica on the targets of the second phase of this programme. This time with a specific component focusing on gender-based violence.

“It shows that women are primarily the victims of violence, but there are also, in a lesser number of cases, they have also been perpetrators of violence. In many countries in the world, there has been an emergence and divergence of crimes in society, which has resulted in varied government responses.

“We at the EU respect the fact that each country and its government will decide in the best ways to uphold its commitment to human rights, and to that end we also acknowledge the world of civil society in being a part of the accountability framework, ensuring the protection of these human rights,” he added.