Set to open shortly is the second of three national shelters being built by the Government to assist women and their children who are victims of abuse.

The announcement was made at the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) church service by Denzil Thorpe, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.

The service was held at the Constant Spring Road Church of God, St Andrew on Sunday (November 21) under the local theme ‘Safer Spaces for Women and Girls’ .

Thorpe, who represented the portfolio minister, Olivia Grange, at the church service, shared: “We are currently working on shelter two, which should be opened soon and shelter three, which will be coming, hopefully, in the new year.”

The construction of these shelters is in keeping with National Strategic Action Plan to eliminate Gender-based Violence (GBV) in Jamaica. Thorpe noted that priority two of the plan requires the government to “provide the necessary protections, including safer spaces for women and girls”.

The first shelter opened its doors in 2020.

Thorpe stated that everyone has the fundamental right to be free from violence, arguing that the true measure of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens, including women, men, children, girls, the elderly and the disabled.

The Government, which has taken has taken a zero tolerance approach to all forms of gender-based violence, has committed itself to implementing policies, programmes, and projects in this regard.

Appealing to faith-based organisations, Thorpe stated that they should partner with the ministry “to challenge and to radically transform the culture of normalising violence”, describing the challenge as critically important if they are serious about creating safer spaces for all women and girls.

The IDEVAW will be celebrated on November 25 and will mark the launch of the UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign. This will entail 16 days of activism where the ministry will engage key stakeholders and members of the public in a series of activities. The campaign is set to conclude on International Human Rights Day on December 10.

Thorpe outlined some of the activities which will take place during the period.

The IDEVAW statement will be read in Parliament and senators and members of parliament will be pinned with purple ribbons to symbolise a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of GBV.

He also stated that there would be a national training workshop for first level responders to GBV which will involve domestic violence officers, guidance counsellors, district constables and pastors.