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Children’s Advocate, Diahann Gordon Harrison, is urging the government to ensure that a solid legislative framework and sound policies are in place to hold perpetrators of child abuse accountable for their actions. “This will, of course, build confidence in the system and it will encourage victims to participate because they know that some justice is there for them,” Mrs. Gordon...

Jamaicans are being encouraged to "step forward" on Labour Day and participate in the cleaning and beautification of their communities. Labour Day and Workers' Week 2012 will be observed on May 23 under the theme: ‘Step Forward…Make Jamaica Beautiful’. Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service Think Tank held on May 16 at the agency’s head office on Half-Way-Tree Road, Principal...

Minister of Youth and Culture, Hon. Lisa Hanna is encouraging all Jamaicans to participate and support the country’s first ever National Children’s Day, which will be celebrated on Friday, May 18. “I want to encourage all of you to not only turn on your headlights but to ensure that you wear the colour yellow for our children,” Ms. Hanna urged...

Youth and Culture Minister, Hon. Lisa Hanna, is calling for all Jamaicans to rally around the protection of the nation’s children. Noting the alarming number of cases of abuse, especially sexual abuse, she said that there can be no letting up of efforts. “We cannot afford to get tired of this fight. Each day we have to find the will,...

A sum of $25 million is to be used this fiscal year to upgrade and refurbish sporting facilities at the Independence Park Limited in Kingston. The project is being implemented by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), under the Sports portfolio. As contained in the 2012/13 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, the allocation will cover:...

Work on the construction of the Simon Bolivar Cultural Centre at North Parade, downtown Kingston, will be completed this fiscal year.   This will be done under the Development of Sports and Recreational Facilities project for which a sum of $88 million has been allocated in the 2012/13 Estimates of Expenditure currently before the House of Representatives. Work on the...

Commissioner of Police, Owen Ellington, says there is a growing involvement of students in cyber crimes, such as the lotto scam, and is appealing to parents to take greater responsibility for the supervision of their children. He was addressing a forum on national security staged by the Montego Bay business community on May 15, at the Ritz Carlton Golf and...

Youth and Culture Minister, Hon. Lisa Hanna, says the Ministry is seeking to recommit the National Youth Service (NYS) to its core mandate of engendering voluntarism among the nation’s youth, who are involved in the agency’s programmes and activities. “What we are doing is enhancing your (youth) workforce skills, while at the same time, encouraging those characteristics of voluntarism. As...

The National Child Diversion Programme has received a total allocation of $33.36 million in the 2012/13 Estimates of Expenditure, which is now before the House of Representatives. The money will go towards sensitising 240 prescribed professionals on the need to report child sexual abuse cases; solicit Cabinet’s approval and implement the National Child Diversion Policy; establish implementation standards, codes and...

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) has received an allocation of $300 million to fund the ‘Jamaica 50’ celebrations in the 2012/13 Estimates of Expenditure, which is now before the House of Representatives. The aim of this project is to establish a legacy that will spur Jamaicans to the kinds of actions that will assure the country of future sustainability...

A cheque valued at $1 million has been handed over to the Ministry of Youth and Culture by Jamaica Broilers Group Limited, to repair the monuments in  National Heroes Park, in Kingston. Youth and Culture Minister, Hon. Lisa Hanna, who received the contribution, expressed appreciation to President and Chief Executive Officer of Jamaica Broilers Group, Christopher Levy, at a recent...

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Jamaica, Robert Fuderich, has made an appeal for the region to "break the silence" surrounding child abuse to end the scourge, which is affecting a significant number of children. He informed that an estimated six million children in Latin America and the Caribbean suffer severe abuse, including abandonment, and 80,000 children die each...