PIOJ Director General, Dr Wayne Henry’s Remarks at the Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) Report Launch held on Thursday, November 14, 2024

A very warm greeting to you all!

It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the launch of the report of the findings from the first Jamaica Violence Against Children & Youth Survey (VACS).

In 2022, the Planning Institute of Jamaica received Cabinet approval to conduct the Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) with support from the Government of the United States of America, through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The survey was fielded by the Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation and the University of the West Indies, Mona.

The survey collected information on the prevalence of emotional, physical and sexual violence against children and youth aged 13–24 years, among other things, which you will hear in more detail in the presentation of the findings later in the programme.

Jamaica is honoured to have conducted the VACS and is also very pleased to be one of the twenty-three countries, (including Botswana, Rwanda, Colombia, and nearer to home, Haiti and the United States of America), that have conducted the VACS globally.

According to the Child Protection & Family Services Agency (CPFSA), there were some 43 312 reported incidents of child abuse in Jamaica between January 2019 and December 2020, with an average 60 reports being made each day. The CDC estimates that globally a staggering 1.0 billion children are harmed each year. To put this in perspective, that is, half of the world’s child population.

Violence against children is preventable. However, we need to understand the circumstances around which violence occurs.

Most importantly, we need timely and reliable data.

The protection of our children also requires a systematic approach and a more facilitative normative structure that is guided by data. The completion of the VACS and the findings are critical to enhancing our efforts at preventing and responding to violence against children. To this end, the data will support the work of the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information in its implementation of the National Plan of Action for an Integrated Response to Children and Violence.

Furthermore, the data garnered will provide the country with valuable insights on the health and well-being, and incidence of violence against children and youth in Jamaica. This will assist in determining the gaps in our current systems, so that we can be more responsive, as well as design better policies and plans, to treat the needs of victims.

Beyond the data, however, children and youth must be active partners in the fight against violence, as listening to them is vital to ensuring their safety and protection. We must also provide them with a comfortable environment, free from harm and harsh words, from which they can communicate openly about their experiences, as the emotional, physical, sexual and verbal abuse of our children and youth negatively impacts their development and long-term health.

The Government of Jamaica is committed to safeguarding the welfare and well-being of our children against all forms of unhealthy behaviours and violence.

Your presence here today is testament to the commitment to ending violence against children and our young people as we all have a role to play.

Our partnerships continue to highlight the importance of our bilateral and multilateral partners as they provide the technical assistance that will enable us to develop and implement strategies to prevent violence against children, and achieve our national goals.

We are therefore grateful to our partners in this endeavour, the United States government and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Together for Girls; EGPAF; UNICEF; the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information; the University of the West Indies Mona; the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, and other partners that have worked with us to complete the VACS, and to everyone working to protect our most vulnerable citizens.

As a father, I want to see a Jamaica that is safe for my children — and all children.

Our 2030 vision states, Jamaica is the place of choice to live, work, RAISE FAMILIES and do business. However, Jamaica cannot be the place of choice to raise families if we fail to protect our children. Jamaica has adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and is committed to achieving Target 16.2 to “end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against, and torture of, children”. This aligns with the National Vision Statement of Vision 2030 – National Development Plan which envisions creating a secure future for our vulnerable population in ensuring that each child has equal opportunity to develop his or her full potential through access to the best care, affection and protection.

The Planning Institute of Jamaica is therefore pleased to share this report with you, our stakeholders, and the public, as we work together to end violence against our children.

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