NCMC Calls on Law-Abiding Jamaicans to Protect the Children

The National Child Month Committee (NCMC) is calling on all law-abiding citizens of the country to protect the nation’s children in these troubled times.
This appeal comes against the recent spate of violence directed at the nation’s children, which resulted in six children being killed in a week.Dr. Pauline Mullings, Chairperson of the NCMC, told JIS News that Jamaica’s children had to be saved and this meant creating a safe and secure environment at any cost.
“The spate of murders as it relates to our children has become another tool, which is being used to destroy our nation,” she argued.
She emphasized that there was urgent need for public education to teach persons about the value of children. The hope and future of the nation, Dr. Mullings pointed out, rested in the children. The Chairperson said that children were becoming fearful, as violence had become more pervasive, leaving no one immune. “It is a traumatic time for the children,” Dr. Mullings said.
“Many children do not want to leave the protective shelter of adults anymore.This has to change,” she stressed.
In the meantime, Dr. Mullings again appealed to mothers, girlfriends and sisters to desist from hiding and protecting criminals.
“Try to talk them out of committing crime. Encourage them to understand that it is not the way to go. If that does not work, hand them over to the law. You never can tell, you might just save your own life or the life of someone you truly love,” Dr. Mullings pleaded.
The NCMC comprises representatives of government and non-government institutions, working in the interest of the children of Jamaica.
The Committee’s mission is to use the month of May, recognized nationwide as Child Month, to educate the public about the needs of children and articulate what each person can do to help.