Healthy Development of Children Should Be Priority of All – Senator Longmore

Government Senator, Dr. Saphire Longmore, says the healthy development of children should be the priority of all in the society, especially in situations of co-parenting.

“I want to emphasise, especially to our mothers, don’t use access to the children as a tool of revenge against the fathers. If you and that dad are not making it work, the child is the priority and the child’s development is the priority,” Dr. Longmore said.

She made the call while making her contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on December 1.

“Let us not use access and the healthy development of our children as a tool of revenge in the pursuit of a resolution of your relationship. Seek to establish that communication with your partner that your child is your priority, and seek to put that in place,” she said.

Meanwhile, she argued that more support needs to be provided for single mothers.

“Apart from having our fathers registered and being more actively involved, support for our single mothers in a generational way that is connected – online forums, homework clubs, community focus groups – use technology to enhance the support for our single mothers. Preventative governance, rather than therapeutic,” Dr. Longmore said.

She said the value for children needs to start with the value for women, who are the bearers of children.

Furthermore, she called on Jamaicans to protect the nation’s children.

“We all know that I have called and made my utterances around the mandatory life sentencing/mandatory death sentencing of child murderers,” Dr. Longmore said.

“We must protect our children at all costs; when we say they are our future that is not an empty statement. We need to have a paradigm shift from the punishment of our children to the disciplining of our children and the fact that our children should be priority in all matters. Love for our children is a big fix for violence,” she said.