On February 16th of this year, the unheard of happened. Allegations were made against the state’s law enforcers. Jamaican policemen were accused of gang-raping an exotic dancer. It was reported that five officers sexually assaulted an exotic dancer at a nightclub in Spanish Town, St Catherine. The Gleaner reported that the five policemen from the St Catherine North Division were conducting a raid at the nightclub just after midnight. Some of the officers stayed inside to search patrons, while five others reportedly took the dancer to the rear of the building where they allegedly took turns raping her. It goes without saying that such an act is grossly unacceptable. Following the report by the press, several Women Rights groups called for the police high command to investigate the matter as they were disturbed by the report.

Karl Angell, director of Communications for the Jamaica Constabulary Force, later confirmed that the officers were in custody and that they were investigating the matter. These situations are not new to the Jamaica Constabulary Force. In 2010 three policemen were said to have grabbed a prostitute, placed her inside the service vehicle and threatened to lock her up. She was then taken to a house in Waterford where they reportedly took turns raping her.
After almost six months following the report in February, I am yet to hear a follow-up by our local media. With this in mind, I can only conclude that Commercial Sex Workers are not valued as contributing and productive members of society who deserve the same right as everyone else. This view will not be embrace by our media, but as the old saying goes, “Action speaks louder than words”; however, in this case, I have not seen nor heard any words.

Well, I guess violation of one’s rights by a state body is not as important as the “bus that can cross it” or a political campaign /report tour. You might not be in agreement with my opinion, but that’s fine. I just wanted to remind you that given how small our small island is, you may just have a husband, father, uncle, brother, or son who have been engage with these Commercial Sex Workers. With this in mind, you could be affected one way or another.

Jamaica is a small island blessed with a rich cultural heritage and some of the most talented people around the world. “Jamaica No Problem” is a slogan that is on many marketing ventures to promote our country as a tourist destination. But, is this the reality for many Jamaican youth? We struggle with myriad of issues, including crime and violence, high levels of illiteracy, unemployment and an ailing economy which is often linked to a lifespan of borrowing by different administration.

On any given day, in a lower income community, the activities are the same -- young men on the street with seemingly very little constructive activities of interest to their engagement. Some of these men are often the same ones who become criminal elements in society. These men are the product of several generations of untapped talents that have been neglected and left to waste. The majority of them have no skills and either failed to meet the requirements for higher learning or stopped halfway in high schools. Many will argue that one is responsible for their own education, but I believe there are several factors that should be considered.

With little or no education it is extremely difficult for these men to secure a job, provide for their family, and gain the respect of others. As a result they become alienated, often finding solace, comfort and belonging in informal groups that often mature into to criminal or corner gangs.

Anti-Crime bills, enactment of state of emergency and larger penitentiary facilities are hardly the most appropriate responses to effectively deal with these problems. Short-term programmes with enormous budgets must stop. In many cases the results can hardly be measured and the programmes are not sustainable.

We need a cooperative approach so solve our issues. It is imperative to understand that Jamaica it not beyond repair, we just need to invest our energies and converge on our many ideas. Such a strategy must place young people at the centre. Nonetheless, we must all play our part.

Parents should spend more time in the development of their child. No longer can we have child attending school and the child’s teacher has never seen the parent.

While the government is looking at business creation as an avenue to address unemployment more needs to be done in equipping young entrepreneurs with the skills needed to be successful. This includes training in customer service, accounting, product/service and general management skills.

Understandably, skills development is vital, but the HEART TRUST NTA, the national training agency, needs to be rebranded from an institution for high school dropouts to a technical institutions offering world class training to it graduates.

The National Youth Service program should be expanded. Participants must be guided in the development of a clear career strategy. It not enough to have unattached youth at a camp for one month and then send them to work for six months. What happens after the six months? Learning cannot take place with out reinforcement and follow-ups.

The truth is that we have lost many youth who could have made a positive impact in their communities. Without any meaningful and sustainable intervention at the community level, our fears will just continue to materialize. It is not about political persuasion, but the people of Jamaica that is getting the dirty water from the people playing at the top of the stream.

 Imagine being killed because your parents feel they will be unable to take care of you.

Think of two persons who hate each other, because you were born. As child you were only able to go to school three days because your parents were unable to send you regularly.

Imagine going to bed hungry and unsure if you will have breakfast in the morning before going to school. You are in class but unable to focus because there you are bombarded with the problems at home. On top of that daddy is just not around.

You are now in a relationship with a new born added to the family. At the same time unable to get a job to take care of the needs of your family.

Tears is what you are tasting, because you are being abused and have to remain silent because the abuser is you only source of income

Selling is your newest hobby, but the only problem is that it your body that is the product and you now lie to your family that you are working the night shift. While trying to make “ends meet” you contract a sexual transmitted infection, you are afraid to access the health services as you may encounter stigma and discrimination because of your age and sexual orientation.

Imagine you imagine that you were one of the above causes. Regrettably, this is a reality for many. In my country, Jamaica several young men and women (and even children) are commonly engaged in transactional sex.

A number of persons can testify that they have encountered such tragedy directly or indirectly. We can not continue on this path. These acts must stop.

I know you may never even dream about such, but it a reality that faces our brothers and sisters. Do some thing and act now. 

It is  common for parents in Jamaica to say that their child was a mistake. Many children have to live with the harsh reality, to know that they were the product of two persons who did not want them. Unplanned pregnancy and the harsh economic conditions are always reasons to justify this.

According to the International Family Planning Perspectives (2007)[1], “Barbados and Jamaica have high levels of sexual violence and unprotected sexual intercourse, particularly among young people”. The report also highlighted that “57% of pregnancies in Jamaica are unwanted or unplanned, and 20% of Jamaican women have experienced forced sexual intercourse”.

Like many developing countries, abortion remains an illegal act in Jamaica. Many women practice unsafe abortion. This is so because “abortion is highly restricted in this country, women with unplanned or unwanted pregnancies often resort to clandestine, unsafe abortions, which are a leading cause of disability and maternal mortality” (IFPP, 2007).

These figures maybe alarming to some upper-class families as they usually have one to two children. One female in a poor  community believe that this is as a result of the females in her community having little or no opportunity for constructive engagement in education, skills training or employment. As a result they engage in sexual activities on a regular basis. Generally, this is uncommon in families that are career driven and have specific goals to achieve. From observation another contributing factor is that a number of births in Jamaica are by teenage mothers, some of whom have not yet completed secondary school. The story is told of a woman in her mid-30s who went to have her baby delivered at a public hospital in (Kingston). It is said that she was in shock and felt ashamed when she realized that there was no one in her age group. Data from the Registrar General Department reveals that in 2004 “live births to mothers under 15 totaled 278”. To add to these births in the 15-19 age groups totaled 7,956. Together these births accounted for 8,234; which is 19.4% of all births in 2004. The figures for 2003 were also 19.4 per cent. While it is believed that these figures are decline, more needs to be done to address the situation urgently. The social costs of these alarming figures are many. These high births in young girls can have serious implications on the educational future of the young mothers. It increases the number of school dropouts, poverty, illiteracy and poor health.

In April of 2008 the Government of Jamaica implemented the free health care system. Every Jamaican is now in a position to access services free from public hospitals and clinics island-wide. With this ease in access, I believe Jamaican youth should utilize the services including family planning. One such is the Copper T intrauterine device (IUD). The Family Health International explains that “Copper T is safe and reversible, and requires little effort on the part of the user once inserted, and offers 10 years of prevention against pregnancy.”The IUD is quite an effective method and has a lower rate of complications than hormonal methods," Dr. Carlos Huezo, medical director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) highlighted.

Dr. Huezo further opines that “it is regrettable that its use is low in many countries. We need to create an awareness of the safety of the IUD and how effective it is." He also believes that "the most common misconception was that IUDs work by causing an abortion." "We also heard that the IUD causes cancer. This was a quite common perception, but it came as a surprise to researchers. Another concern is that the IUD moves outside the uterus and can travel as far as the heart or brain. This is just one of the many contraceptive mechanisms that are available free by the Jamaica Government. It is the responsibility of youth to seek information and access the services as the need arise. The Copper T in particular has a life span of over ten years. While it does not protect against viruses such as HIV, it goes a far way in protecting one from unwanted pregnancy. This is important for population control and economic development.

There are many short falls of government but when services are offered, we need to, as young people use them as much as possible. There is no right time to start having sex as we all have different ideas about sexual initiation. However, my advice is that we delay sex until our bodies are fully developed or be sure to use proper contraceptive (and protection) if we must. Above all if you can abstain, do so as it the only full prove contraceptive that exist presently.

[1] Volume 33, Number 4

What is daggering and can we truly define this phenomenon that has crept up on our children here in Jamaica. Daggering from my Jamaican perspective is overtly explicit sexual suggestions through some sort of erotic body movements during this so called dance and somehow has created a culture where the kids( teens, young adults and minors) are engrossed into this new dance style.

My understanding of the word dagger suggests an offensive weapon that is intended to wound, cause a scar or create great damage and even death and somehow that seems to be the intent of this "daggering" dance that is causing the latest salvo of discussion. There are some questions that we must ask. Why was this allowed to reign for so long before action was taken? Was the responce recently due to the fact that the regulators of the media entities had an invasion of daggering in their home? Aren't the obscene music videos with half naked girls girating on cars, poles and whatever they may choose that are seen on national television each week a cause for concern and action?

This society cannot continue to be reactive to issues which face our nation daily. We must be proactive and move to prevent the epidemic rather than run with the vaccine to stop the outbreak after many innocent lives have already fallen victim to the insatiable appetite of the greedy and gluttonous men and women who will stop at nothing to fill their coffers each day with the innocence of our future generation.

Rev. Mark Reid

(The following is part of the weeklong Jamaican Safer Sex Week Blogathon)

Jamaica, like many other developing countries are constantly revolving. One such area is sexual and reproductive health. The sector can no longer be overlooked as it affects the entire nation. In June of 2001, Jamaica was one of 189 countries that signed the Declaration of commitment which seeks to curb the spread of the AIDS epidemic through international, regional and country level partnership with support from civil society.

Against this back ground we have a high risk of HIV infections and unwanted pregnancies. This is as a result of young people lacking essential information, education, and services to protect themselves. Hence we have the high adolescent fertility rate in the English speaking Caribbean, with 112 births per 1000 women between the ages of 15 to 19.In addition AIDS was the second leading cause of death for youths in 2004.

It is a well known fact that a lot of times when teenagers engage in sexual activities they are not planned, thus they are unprepared, and often times have to pay harsh penalties. One may ask as a nation,”what can we do to curb the problem?" The answers are right before our eyes.

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