Fight for Peace doesn’t teach children to fight. It uses combat sports as a way to channel their energies, to instill discipline and values; and help them escape the violence in their communities. To do so effectively – to do so safely – it’s vital that when a child enters the programme, they have a clear understanding what it is… Read more →←
Topic: Safety and justice
Teaching youths to take a step back, to step away from violent situations is what ‘Psychological first aid’ (PFA) is about. It’s part of what our partners at Fight for Peace are using to help inner city youths here in Kingston. Johannesburg, South Africa, is a city where youth face similar challenges. Visiting from that city… Read more →←
The biggest reward for retired social worker June Torey-Scott is the possibility of saving a young life. “Mrs. Scott, if I hadn’t come for counseling then I would have killed myself,” is a phrase she’s heard many times. For the past 15 years, June has been volunteering her skills for the Peace Management Initiative (PMI), a local… Read more →←
The cases are in the news almost every day. A child beaten with a machete. A child murdered brutally. A child sexually assaulted. Violence against Jamaican children – in all its forms – is a horrifying epidemic. Violence that is passed from generation to generation. Violence that is condoned as “discipline”. Violence that is… Read more →←
The two-year-old boy is recovering, says Peace Management Initiative (PMI) senior social worker Berthlyn Plummer. One week after a gunman’s bullet shattered his little arm, his family told Berthlyn that he’s once again playing. It was another day of hard work for the PMI; a punishingly hot summer day working boots on the ground… Read more →←
Underprivileged children exposed to crime at an early age are unfortunately more likely to be caught up in the justice system. For them, the response of police and the justice system will determine whether they become permanently crimimalised at a young age, or go on to become productive members of society. Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ)… Read more →←
Reporting child abuse is something that every person should feel like they can do. However, in Jamaica there is gap between the laws governing reports and the public’s willingness to do so. In fact: just 1 in 10 adults report child abuse, despite knowing about it. It is through this gap that many children fall. It is this gap that… Read more →←
Akino Lindsay wants an Olympic Gold medal, badly. At 22 years old and already a two-time ISKA World Champion in Taekwondo, Tokyo 2020 is much more than just a dream. But even that is not the most remarkable thing about him. What is most remarkable about the self-described big kid, is seeing him interact with children from the various… Read more →←
“I grew up in war-torn community where there was gang rivalry. I was affected by the gunshots and murders and it gives me a vivid picture of what some of these children are going through.” – Corporal Ricardo McAlpin, Community Safety and Security Branch. Daily, a Jamaican police officer on the frontline is likely to… Read more →←
Having supported the 2011-2015 Children and Violence Report of the Jamaica Crime Observatory (JCO), it was very encouraging to see its findings recently on the cover of The Sunday Gleaner. The JCO is a unit of the Ministry of National Security and a partner of UNICEF. It is important for Jamaicans to see the facts and figures as they… Read more →←