Parents Urged to Ensure Children’s Safety During Christmas Holiday

Parents are being urged to pay keen attention to their children during the upcoming Christmas holiday period, particularly in communities severely impacted by the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

The call, from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), comes against the background of the displacement of some families due to the hurricane.

Speaking at a recent JIS Think Tank, Head of the JCF’s Constabulary Communications Network, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dahlia Garrick, said that children are particularly vulnerable during periods of displacement.

“Just be very mindful of where the children are going on this holiday break and who is supervising them. We see a lot of displacement, we know that children are now staying in sometimes different environments and we have to be very mindful of that,” she said.

SSP Garrick highlighted the need for parents to speak to their children about what constitutes inappropriate behaviour towards them and to cultivate an environment where they feel safe to share their concerns about uncomfortable activities.

“As parents and guardians, sometimes, the sexual offences are committed by people who we trust, people who are close to the family. Sometimes, it’s family members. Speak to the children and listen to them. Allow them to be comfortable to tell you what they’re experiencing and the things that make them feel uncomfortable,” SSP Garrick said.

She implored parents to also look out for signs of trauma, noting that some children may still be grappling with feelings of distress following the passage of the hurricane.

“We have to sometimes do a reset to be able to help them through and to let them feel safe. You will see some of them now being afraid of rain and rain used to be a normal part of life. But given their experience, we want you to be very observant and knowing that their psychological well-being is a part of their holistic well-being,” she said.

Meanwhile, SSP Garrick is highlighting the risks associated with newly formed water bodies in some communities and is urging parents to take precaution.

“Normally, at this time of year, we would not be talking about water safety and children, but given what has happened, the level of rainfall and the level of ponding, as we go into the holiday season, I would encourage parents and guardians to adopt the same principles you would in the summer around water safety,” SSP Garrick noted.

“Encourage the children not to swim in these water bodies because some of them are contaminated. Some of the children are not swimmers; you don’t want them going and exploring in this type of environment. Some of the water bodies… the rivers may have shifted how they normally would be; where you normally have shallow areas, you have deep holes now,” she pointed out further.