分类： society

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s Bureau of Gender Affairs (BGA) is accelerating its nationwide initiative to combat gender-based violence and advance gender equality through comprehensive community engagement, legislative reform, and policy education. Under the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the agency is strengthening protective measures for women and girls while expanding critical support services.

Principal Director Sharon Coburn Robinson emphasized the Bureau’s unwavering commitment to creating environments where women and girls feel both secure and heard. The BGA’s multifaceted approach includes operating dedicated helplines for gender-based violence victims, deploying community liaison teams, and conducting targeted sensitization programs across parishes.

“Our helpline serves as a vital lifeline for those in need,” stated Coburn-Robinson. “Through our Community Liaison Unit and social workers, we maintain direct presence within communities, providing support and education when it matters most.”

The Bureau’s community outreach extends to raising awareness about significant observances such as the International Day for Rural Women, while simultaneously promoting understanding of national legislation year-round. Coburn-Robinson highlighted that community participation remains fundamental to their strategy, aligning with the National Policy for Gender Equality’s principle of inclusive engagement.

Significant legislative advancements are currently underway, including the comprehensive review of the Domestic Violence Act. The Bureau is also intensifying implementation efforts for the Sexual Harassment Protection and Prevention Act, ensuring the newly established Sexual Harassment Tribunal delivers accessible and equitable justice for complainants.

Coburn-Robinson pointed to successful community protection models like the Clarendon Inter-Parish Network as exemplary frameworks for other parishes to emulate. She encouraged nationwide adoption of similar community-led safety initiatives that emphasize networking, dialogue, and collective vigilance.

Addressing all Jamaican citizens, the Principal Director issued a powerful call to action: “We all share responsibility as our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. Report any suspicious activities, foster strong community partnerships, and collaborate closely with law enforcement agencies.”

She envisioned building a society free from discrimination, harm, and exploitation where future generations can safely exercise their rights. The GBV Helpline Unit, established in 2023, continues to provide essential support to victims, survivors, and witnesses of gender-based violence through dedicated telephone services: 876-553-0372 and 876-236-1713 for women, and 876-553-0387 for men.

Five months after Hurricane Melissa wrought devastation across Jamaica’s southwestern regions, reconstruction initiatives maintain critical urgency. Spearheading these efforts is BossMom Builds, a charitable organization transforming compassion into tangible action for affected communities.

Founded by Jamaican entrepreneur and Food For the Poor Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Gordon, the initiative has remarkably surpassed its original fundraising objectives. Initially targeting $10 million immediately following the hurricane, the campaign has now exceeded its expanded $30 million goal, demonstrating extraordinary philanthropic response.

Through strategic partnerships with Food for the Poor Jamaica and the URGE Foundation, BossMom Builds is currently implementing substantial reconstruction projects. The organization is constructing 20 new residences for families displaced by the natural disaster while simultaneously facilitating roof repairs for 50 homes throughout impacted communities. This brings their total housing construction output to 32 homes since 2022, reflecting sustained commitment to long-term recovery beyond immediate disaster response.

“We asked, and many people helped so we are able to build more,” stated Gordon. “Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us rebuild homes, restore hope, and keep our mothers and children safe.”

The philanthropic endeavor operates as the charitable wing of the BossMom Network, a collective of entrepreneurial mothers united by the principle that thriving women form the foundation of thriving families. The initiative embodies the conviction that successful businesswomen can provide fellow mothers with life’s most essential requirement: secure, stable housing.

Notable support has emerged from international celebrities including reggae artist Ziggy Marley and Orly Marley of the URGE Foundation, who have been instrumental in resource mobilization and international awareness campaigns. Country music star Kenny Chesney, maintaining longstanding connections to the Caribbean region, has also contributed significantly to the fundraising campaign.

Corporate and media alliances have further amplified the initiative’s reach. Organizations including GraceKennedy, Ford Motor Company, the FirstRock Foundation, and Arizona’s Family TV station have provided substantial support, enhancing both visibility and operational capacity.

Marsha Burrell-Rose, marketing and public relations manager at Food For the Poor Jamaica, emphasized the power of collaborative effort: “Partnerships like this remind us that we are stronger together. BossMom Builds, the URGE Foundation, and Food For the Poor are combining faith, purpose, and action to rebuild communities and restore lives across Jamaica. This is compassion in motion.”

Each home delivered through the initiative arrives completely furnished and move-in ready, equipped with essential amenities including furniture, gas stoves, indoor sanitation facilities, solar-powered lighting systems, water storage solutions, kitchen supplies, and initial food provisions.

Gordon acknowledged that while substantial progress has been achieved, housing needs persist throughout western Jamaica. Consequently, BossMom Builds has further expanded its campaign objectives to assist additional families requiring safe accommodation. The organization continues appealing to individuals, corporate entities, and diaspora members to support ongoing reconstruction efforts through designated channels at Food For the Poor Jamaica, with all contributions exclusively allocated to BossMom Builds initiatives.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — In a significant move to strengthen urban governance, the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) has announced a strategic partnership with the University of Technology (UTech) through a forthcoming memorandum of understanding. This collaboration aims to substantially enhance the technical capabilities of municipal officials responsible for development approvals.

The initiative will establish specialized training programs focused on advancing the analytical proficiency of KSAMC’s Building and Town Planning Committee members. These educational interventions are designed to transform the decision-making process for construction projects and land-use modifications throughout Jamaica’s capital region.

This institutional alliance represents a proactive approach to urban management, ensuring that planning determinations are grounded in rigorous technical analysis and empirical assessments. The partnership will leverage UTech’s academic excellence in architecture, engineering, and urban planning disciplines to deliver professional development resources.

Municipal authorities emphasize that this cooperation forms part of a comprehensive strategy to modernize local planning operations, guaranteeing that urban development aligns with both strategic objectives and regulatory requirements. While specific dates for the formal agreement signing remain undisclosed, officials confirm that the MOU will be followed by an extensive schedule of workshops and training sessions for committee members and municipal personnel.

Stakeholders anticipate that this knowledge-transfer partnership will yield more consistent, transparent, and efficient development decisions, ultimately benefiting both residents and businesses in Jamaica’s most populous metropolitan area.

In a significant judicial development, Jamaica’s Court of Appeal has nullified the convictions and sentences of alleged criminal organization leader Tesha Miller related to the 2008 murder of Jamaica Urban Transit Company chairman Douglas Chambers. The appellate court’s Friday ruling declared Miller’s 2019-2020 trial proceedings fundamentally invalid, resulting in his acquittal for being an accessory after the fact to murder.

The three-judge panel determined that procedural irregularities during jury selection had compromised the trial’s integrity, specifically noting that Miller was improperly denied his full entitlement to four peremptory challenges. This judicial error effectively voided the original proceedings, rendering them legally nonexistent.

Despite this acquittal, the court ordered a fresh trial for the more serious charge of accessory before the fact to murder, citing the offense’s gravity, Jamaica’s concerning murder prevalence, and the prosecution’s apparently strong evidentiary case. The retrial must commence within six months of Miller completing his current ongoing trial, where he faces multiple charges under Jamaica’s anti-gang legislation alongside twenty-four co-defendants.

The appellate decision addressed Miller’s central legal argument that his conviction should be overturned because the alleged principal shooter, Andre ‘Blackman’ Bryan, had been acquitted in 2016. The court explicitly rejected this interpretation of criminal liability, stating no general legal principle exists where an accessory’s conviction automatically becomes invalid upon the principal’s acquittal.

Miller had been serving a 38-year, nine-month prison sentence imposed in January 2020 after his original conviction. Prosecutors, including then-Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn, had vigorously defended the convictions during appeal hearings and requested a retrial should the court overturn the verdicts, emphasizing the strength of available evidence despite the case’s chronological complexity dating back fifteen years.

Jamaica’s education system faces a persistent challenge in overcoming student reluctance to utilize guidance counselling services, according to Dr. Kasan Troupe, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information. Speaking at Thursday’s Education Transformation Oversight Committee quarterly briefing at Shortwood Teachers’ College, Dr. Troupe identified deeply entrenched trust issues stemming from misconceptions about confidentiality as the primary barrier.

The official, drawing from her nine years of experience as a guidance counsellor at The Queen’s School, provided candid insights during a session prompted by a student’s question from Immaculate Conception High School. Dr. Troupe acknowledged the profession has long struggled with perceptions of trustworthiness while explaining the complex ethical dilemmas counsellors face.

A critical misunderstanding revolves around the non-absolute nature of confidentiality in counselling relationships. Dr. Troupe clarified that guidance professionals operate within strict ethical boundaries that sometimes require disclosure—particularly when students express intentions of self-harm or pose safety concerns. “When a student reveals plans to hurt themselves,” she explained, “the counsellor assumes an additional responsibility to engage other stakeholders for protection purposes. While this may appear as a confidentiality breach, it constitutes a professional obligation.”

The Ministry recognizes that traditional counselling approaches don’t suit all students, especially those uncomfortable with face-to-face adult conversations. In response, education authorities are developing complementary support structures including enhanced peer-to-peer counselling frameworks and student-led initiatives that operate alongside professional services.

Dr. Troupe vigorously defended the competence and dedication of practising school counsellors, emphasizing that existing distrust reflects systemic misunderstandings rather than professional inadequacy. The Ministry continues to work toward multidimensional support systems that address both psychological needs and privacy concerns within Jamaica’s educational institutions.

Law enforcement officials in St. Mary, Jamaica have intensified their search for a local farmer identified as a crucial person of interest in multiple agricultural theft investigations. The Area 2 Agricultural Protection Branch (APB) has formally named 37-year-old Ricardo Bonner, also known by the alias ‘Tenna’, as someone who may possess vital information regarding recent praedial larceny incidents plaguing the parish.

Bonner, a resident of Arthur Lane in Annotto Bay, is urgently being asked to present himself voluntarily to the Area 2 APB headquarters to assist detectives with their ongoing criminal investigations. The agricultural thefts, which have targeted local farmers’ livelihoods, form part of a broader pattern of farm-related crimes affecting rural communities across the parish.

Authorities have mobilized public assistance efforts, requesting that anyone with knowledge of Bonner’s current whereabouts immediately contact specialized investigators at 658-219-2063. Alternative reporting channels include the national police emergency hotline at 119 or any nearby police station. The APB’s public appeal underscores the seriousness with which Jamaican authorities are treating agricultural crime, particularly given its devastating impact on farming communities and national food security.

This development occurs within Jamaica’s broader context of combating praedial larceny, which remains a persistent challenge affecting agricultural productivity and economic stability. The specialized Agricultural Protection Branch continues to employ targeted strategies to address these crimes that disproportionately affect small-scale farmers and agricultural enterprises across the island.

The Jamaican Rastafarian community in Shashamane, Ethiopia, will commemorate Rastafari Month with a special tribute event on April 10th at the Lily and Vernon Leach Lounge. This gathering serves dual purposes: honoring reggae icon Bunny Wailer, who passed in March 2021, and paying respects to Donald “Flippins” Leach, a foundational Jamaican figure in Ethiopia’s Rasta movement who died in 2012.

The event will feature performances by Sydney Salmon, chairman of the Jamaican Rastafarian Development Community (JRDC), alongside artists including Orthodox Issachar, Teddy Dan, Iron Gad, Pat Joseph, and the Melody Sisters. Salmon, an East Kingston native who relocated to Ethiopia in 2001, has released several musical works including songs ‘Oh Lord,’ ‘Trees,’ and ‘Give To You,’ with his third album ‘Andromeda: Sign of The Times’ launched in November.

In exclusive comments, Salmon revealed ambitious preparations for the 60th anniversary celebration of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I’s historic state visit to Jamaica. “I learned of his significance through Rastafarian elders while growing up,” Salmon reflected on the 1966 visit that occurred when he was two years old.

The JRDC records indicate approximately 600 Jamaicans and their families currently residing in Ethiopia, many in Shashamane where Emperor Selassie I granted 500 acres of land in 1948 to members of the African Diaspora. This humanitarian gesture acknowledged international support during Ethiopia’s conflict with Mussolini’s fascist forces.

Many Jamaican settlers belong to the Twelve Tribes of Israel organization, established by Vernon “Gad” Carrington in Kingston’s Trench Town in 1968. Salmon himself, a former banker who lived in New York for 15 years before moving to East Africa, represents this ongoing cultural exchange between Jamaica and Ethiopia that continues to thrive decades after Emperor Selassie’s death in 1975.

Authorities in St. Catherine, Jamaica, have officially reopened the Lluidas Vale main road after successful clearance operations. The critical transportation artery had been rendered completely impassable following a significant incident on Friday involving an overturned tractor-trailer. The accident occurred in the challenging terrain of the Mountain Pass vicinity, creating a major obstruction for local traffic and commuters.

Law enforcement officials have now confirmed that the roadway is fully passable, marking a return to normalcy for the community. The Jamaica Constabulary Force issued a formal advisory to all motorists, lifting the previous travel restrictions for the area. This development concludes a multi-day effort to remove the heavy vehicle and ensure the safety of the road infrastructure. While the precise cause of the overturning incident remains under investigation, the swift resolution of the blockage demonstrates effective coordination between local authorities and emergency response teams. The reopening alleviates significant logistical challenges that had arisen for residents and commercial transport operations relying on this vital route through St. Catherine.