Last Updated on September 23, 2021, 4:02 AM AST by Renaldo St Juste
The government instructed the children to call the 211 helplines to get the necessary help if they wanted to report the cases of abuse against them.
This helpline is the first in Jamaica that is helpful against child abuse. This is a 24hrs helpline. This helpline number can be dialled from both cellulars as well as landline and without any cost. Professionals from Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) have been operating this system through the National Children Registry.
During the official launch of the helpline, Robert Nesta Morgan, state minister of Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, said that the helpline number would always remain available for assisting children as “children are not only abused from 9 to 5”.
Morgan said, “Many children are abused late at night, early in the mornings, on the streets, in the evenings, etc. It is important that children have quick access to a number that they can use as close to the incident of abuse as possible because the longer a child takes to report abuse in some cases, it is harder for the child to report it or relive the experience while talking about it.”
He further added that the effort is not being duplicated. They had a myriad of numbers, and sometimes that also got confusing. Someone said to him that they called the [CPFSA] and nobody answered, and they heard that they don’t work during the weekends.
Rosalee Gage-Grey, Chief executive officer during the ceremony at CPFSA, highlighted that the 211 helpline would eventually replace the 888-Protect.
She said, “We are phasing out 888 Protect, and 211 helpline will be the main number, and it facilitates us getting multiple calls on the line and can be rooted to any of our offices across the island.”
While showing the reports of the child abuse received by the National Children Registry, she said that 1,200 cases of child abuse monthly are average. The issue of child abuse is quite prevalent in society.
There is also a collaboration with the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA), Office of the Children’s Advocate, and all other relevant agencies to give assistance where needed.
Renaldo St Juste, with his connection across the regions excels in providing all the regional updates from across the caribbean nation. His reporting majorly includes covering entertainment, crime and sports.
