Durrant Pate/Contributor

Jamaica is well under way to completing a nationwide child trafficking prevalence study that will inform government strategies and target support to vulnerable children across the island.

The study is being undertaken by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as part of the United States/Jamaica Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership, a jointly developed plan signed by both governments in May 2018. The plan is being implemented by the IOM and the Warnath Consultancy Group.

Officials of the US and Jamaican governments along with their implementing partners, the IOM and Warnath Group, convened for the final bilateral dialogue under the partnership last week. The dialogue focused on shared accomplishments, challenges, and how to sustain progress toward the objectives of the CPC Partnership.

Issues dealt with at the dialogue

The dialogue served to reflect on accomplishments over the last five years. It also centered on the achievements and challenges stakeholders and implementing partners faced in the last year on meeting the partnership’s objectives of strengthening the Jamaican government’s efforts to effectively investigate, prosecute and convict child traffickers, identify and provide comprehensive trauma-informed care for child victims and prevent child trafficking in all its forms.

Participants also discussed sustainability plans as the CPC Partnership comes to an end. To date, the US government has invested US$6.7 million in foreign assistance to implement this plan while relevant Jamaican ministries, departments and agencies have invested staff resources, made in-kind contributions, and provided the operating budget toward the goals and objectives of the CPC Partnership.

Participants included US Ambassador to Jamaica Nick Perry; Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Cindy Dyer, and Jamaican Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security and chair of the National Taskforce Against Trafficking in Persons (NATFATIP), Alison Stone Roofe.

More child-friendly spaces to be opened

More child-friendly spaces to be opened to support the creation and institutionalizing of a National Referral Mechanism, new handbooks, trainings, and learning for multi-disciplinary staff. In addition, there is still work to be completed over the final months by the implementing partners.  

The Warnath Group will continue to work closely with Jamaican government stakeholders, as additional trainings and the opening of more child friendly spaces are still to be completed with the goal to strengthen victim and survivor-centered law enforcement efforts and provide support to child victims of trafficking.  

Ambassador Dyer congratulated the new Permanent Secretary, Alison Stone Roofe and expressed gratitude for the Government of Jamaica’s dedication to the partnership, and stressed the importance of continuing to build upon the partnership’s significant accomplishments.

Ambassador Perry affirmed the United States remains committed to the long-term success of the partnership.  He noted that while the CPC Partnership may be coming to an end, it is important to remember that the initiatives under the partnership have been built with sustainability in mind and that the US government will remain a steadfast ally in combating child trafficking.