Additional US$597,000 (J$89.6 million) in financial support to civil society partners

As the Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership between the United States and Jamaican governments enters its final year, the US State Department has committed additional funding to the initiative.

The US Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Office has announced that it will be providing an additional US$597,000 (J$89.6 million) in financial support to its civil society partners, Warnath Group and Winrock International to expand on their activities in support of the CPC Partnership. Warnath Group received an additional US$97,000 (J$14.6 million) while Winrock International’s funding was increased by US$500,000 (J$75 million) to enhance its collaboration with the Government of Jamaica.

This collaboration seeks to improve capacity to hold more child traffickers accountable, improve identification and assistance for children exploited by traffickers and address the challenges of preventing child trafficking within the country. With this new funding, the US government has invested a total of nearly US$6.7 million in foreign assistance, while Jamaican ministries, departments and agencies have also invested resources and personnel toward the goals and objectives of the CPC Partnership.

Need for additional funding

The additional funds will increase the time and scope of the CPC Partnership organisations’ efforts, which in collaboration with the Jamaican Government has created a National Referral Mechanism for the country. This is in addition to delivering training to judges and prosecutors on implementing Jamaica’s anti-trafficking law and supporting child victims during criminal justice proceedings as well as supporting the creation of screening tools to better identify victims.

Winrock International will pursue its work into 2022 while Warnath Group will continue into 2023. A third CPC Partnership organisation, the International Organization for Migration, will continue their work into 2022.

Commenting on the additional funding, US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires John McIntyre remarked: “The US Embassy remains a committed partner in the fight against child trafficking in Jamaica. Through this partnership and additional funding, we are strengthening our efforts with the Government of Jamaica to build on achievements to date and to make a real difference for the country’s most vulnerable trafficking victims.”

Since the signing of the US-Jamaica CPC in May 2018, the three CPC Partnership organisations, Warnath Group, Winrock International, and the International Organization for Migration, have worked diligently to achieve the Partnership’s objectives.

These are strengthening the Jamaican Government’s efforts to effectively investigate, prosecute and convict child traffickers; identify and provide comprehensive trauma-informed care for more child victims of these crimes and prevent child trafficking in all its forms.