Issues Affecting Children in State Care to Be Discussed

The Ministry of Youth and Culture will be staging a joint press conference on Tuesday, December 18,  to discuss issues relating to children in State care, among other matters.

The Ministries of Justice and National Security; the Inter-ministerial Committee; and several other stakeholder agencies will also be participating in the press conference.

This was disclosed by Portfolio Minister, Hon. Lisa Hanna, during an awards ceremony recognising wards of the State, at the Bank of Jamaica auditorium in downtown Kingston, on December 12.

“A lot of negative things  have been said about our children in State care and certainly about some of the things we are putting in place and that have been put in place,” she said.

Ms. Hanna informed that the conference will discuss issues “in full,” particularly as it relates to children who come in contact with the law.

In recent weeks, various groups have expressed concern about children being kept in lock-ups; and their well-being in State care.

During the ceremony, 37 wards of the State who achieved outstanding results in this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) were honoured.