KINGSTON, Jamaica – In a powerful culmination of its 2026 International Women’s Day observances, the humanitarian organization Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) presented landmark awards to four distinguished women for their transformative work in reshaping Jamaica’s gender policy landscape. The ceremony recognized decades of dedication to closing critical gaps in legislative frameworks and combating systemic gender inequality across the island nation.
Patrick Lalor, JASL’s Policy and Advocacy Officer, emphasized to the Jamaica Observer that conventional praise seemed insufficient for honorees who had fundamentally dedicated their lives to advancing female welfare. ‘We seize this moment to celebrate four visionaries who have profoundly enhanced conditions for Jamaican women and girls,’ Lalor stated. ‘For more than ten years, they have tirelessly campaigned for legislative reviews, repeals, and new enactments that bolster protections for vulnerable female demographics disproportionately affected by pervasive violence.’
Among those celebrated was Ambassador Aloun Ndombet-Assamba, a seasoned gender advocate and former Member of Parliament who previously served as Jamaica’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Despite mobility challenges, she traveled to Kingston to accept the honor at JASL’s Forum and Award Ceremony at the Summit Hotel in St. Andrew. Her advocacy, she revealed, stems from deeply personal experiences with gender-based violence—a subject she bravely raised at a public forum when it remained largely taboo. ‘I stood before 500 people at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel and asked, ‘Look at me, do I look as if I have been beaten by my husband?’ The silence was palpable because nobody discussed this then. I’m profoundly glad I broke that silence,’ she recounted.
The award came as a surprise to Deputy Superintendent of Police Jacqueline Dillon, a 30-year veteran of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). DSP Dillon was instrumental in overseeing and coordinating domestic violence intervention centers nationwide. In response to Ndombet-Assamba’s disclosure, she revealed her own accidental entry into violence prevention work. JASL specifically honored her unwavering leadership and pivotal role in executing the JCF Domestic Violence Road Tour, an initiative that brought critical awareness and sensitivity training on gender-based violence to communities across Jamaica. ‘I genuinely enjoy helping people, and as law enforcement professionals, we have a crucial role in prevention,’ Dillon affirmed, pledging the JCF’s continued commitment to reducing domestic violence incidents.
Joy Crawford, co-founder and executive director of Eve for Life—an organization providing comprehensive support to adolescent girls and young women—expressed deep emotional resonance with the recognition. ‘Being honored in your own country by your peers carries immense meaning,’ Crawford reflected. ‘This award affirms that my community values my work.’ She credited her enduring motivation to the ‘wind beneath my wings,’ noting that even plans for retirement two years prior were set aside due to unwavering passion. Eve for Life’s multidisciplinary approach integrates human rights, public health, and social justice to advance innovative, community-driven solutions to gender-based violence.
JASL also celebrated Joyce Hewitt, a pioneering advocate and former head of Woman Inc—a leading organization established in 1984 offering sanctuary and long-term support to survivors of gender-based violence. Hewitt spent years at the forefront of creating safe havens for women escaping dangerous environments, cementing her legacy as a foundational figure in Jamaica’s gender protection movement.