Human Trafficking in [Jamaica] [other countries]Street Children in [Jamaica Child Prostitution in [Jamaica] [other countries] |
Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children In the
early years of the 21st Century - 2000 to 2010 gvnet.com/streetchildren/Jamaica.htm
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CAUTION: The following links and accompanying text have been culled
from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Action needed on street children - Boys being used as
criminal pawns Fabian jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070729/lead/lead9.html [accessed 3 June 2011] Speaking against the background of
recent criminal activities where police have identified street children as
the perpetrators of major crimes, Pious cites the cause as lack of attention
being given these youths. Officer in charge of crime at the
Half-Way Tree Police Station, Detective Sergeant Radcliffe
Levy, says: "It's a big business being conducted by this gang, where
they loot cameras, cellphones, and other items, and
sell them at cheap prices to others that sell them again." REHABILITATION -
"Rehabilitation is equipping these kids with a career skill such as
barbering, photography and cosmetology, so instead of becoming monsters, they
have the self-reliance and confidence to uplift themselves. In our
preventative measures, we go into the homes and communities where these
streets kids are coming from and try to empower the parents of kids with
skills so they don't push their children to street hustling," Pious
added. ***
ARCHIVES *** UNICEF – www.unicef.org/infobycountry/jamaica.html [accessed 3 June 2011] The Department of Labor’s 2004 Findings on the Worst Forms
of Child Labor www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2004/jamaica.htm [accessed 15 February 2011] INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - More than 2,800 children live on the streets, and are engaged in
work such as newspaper delivery, vending, and domestic service. Human Rights Reports » 2005
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61733.htm [accessed 15 February 2011] CHILDREN - Public primary education was
free, universal, and compulsory for students between the ages of 6 and 11,
and the Ministry of Education reported that 99 percent of children in that
age group were enrolled in school. However, economic circumstances obliged thousands
of children to stay home to help with housework and avoid school fees. As a
result, attendance rates at primary schools averaged 78 percent, although
some rural areas reported attendance as low as 50 percent. More than 70
percent of children between the ages of 12 and 16 had access to secondary
school. SECTION 6
WORKER RIGHTS – [d]
The Child Care and Protection Act provides that children under the age of 12
shall not be employed except by parents or guardians, and that such
employment may be only in domestic, agricultural, or horticultural work. It
also prohibits children under the age of 15 from industrial employment. The
police are mandated with conducting child labor inspections, and the CDA is
charged with finding places of safety for children. However, according to CDA
officials, resources to investigate exploitative child labor were
insufficient. Children under the age of 12 peddled goods and services or
begged on city streets. Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of
the Child (CRC) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 6 June 2003 www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/jamaica2003.html [accessed 15 February 2011] [52] While noting that the State
party is aware that the number of street children is increasing, the
Committee remains concerned at the situation of street children and at the
lack of specific mechanisms and measures to address this situation, as well
as the lack of relevant data in this regard. [54] The Committee is concerned at
the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children, including street
children, and the lack of accurate data and adequate laws and policies in
this regard. Life On The Streets - Student Unveils Study On Children At
Risk Nadisha Hunter, The Gleaner, ctober 23, 2010 www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20101023/news/news2.html
[accessed 24 September 2011] In providing a clearer picture of
the horrendous living conditions faced by the children who are between the
ages of seven and 18, the young researcher said cardboard boxes or even the
bare ground behind buildings were their resting place at night. According to Finch 20 per cent of
respondents ask members of the public for money, another 20 per cent of
respondents are engaged in stealing, 10 per cent peddle drugs, 10 per cent
are involved in prostitution while the remaining 40 per cent take part in
other illegal activities. The
majority of children interviewed said they want to leave the streets while
about five per cent expressed the view that they had no problem with their
current lifestyle. Finch pointed out
that his study found that most of the children ended up on the street as a
result of physical and emotional abuse, neglect, as well as poverty. Child vendors Kaydia King, Letter to the Editor, jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090429/letters/letters4.html [accessed 3 June 2011] The Editor, Sir: It has been brought to my attention that
the number of children vending on the streets has reached an alarming level.
It is as if the number is doubling. What is even more troubling is the fact
that these children can be seen during school hours 'higglering'.
Illiteracy - fuel for crime in Clarendon Gareth Manning and Mark jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20081102/news/news4.html [accessed 3 June 2011] STREET CHILDREN - Illiteracy is probably most
common among Clarendon's 175 street and working children who have poor
attendance records at school. Most are between the ages of 11 and 17 years
old. The street children study of 2002 reported that most of them worked in
the vicinity of the May Pen Market and along the coast in Race Course and
Rocky Point. Marlon (not his real name) was one
of those boys. The Sunday Gleaner met him last year on a trip to the Rocky
Point fishing district, an area notorious for its robust gun- and-drugs
trade. At 13 years old, Marlon could not
read or write, although he was attending an all-age school. He was only
attending school for three days of the week - Monday to Wednesday. Thursday
and Friday were spent on the fishing beach selling juices to hot, thirsty
fisher folk. "Mi parents dem no response fi mi," he
told us then. His words were few, but very profound. He was one of 14
children for his mother. The man he said is his father has never claimed
paternity. With neither of his parents taking responsibility for him, he
lives with his grandmother. Action needed on street children - Boys being used as
criminal pawns Fabian jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070729/lead/lead9.html [accessed 3 June 2011] Speaking against the background of
recent criminal activities where police have identified street children as
the perpetrators of major crimes, Pious cites the cause as lack of attention
being given these youths. Officer in charge of crime at the
Half-Way Tree Police Station, Detective Sergeant Radcliffe
Levy, says: "It's a big business being conducted by this gang, where
they loot cameras, cellphones, and other items, and
sell them at cheap prices to others that sell them again." REHABILITATION - "Rehabilitation is
equipping these kids with a career skill such as barbering, photography and
cosmetology, so instead of becoming monsters, they have the self-reliance and
confidence to uplift themselves. In our preventative measures, we go into the
homes and communities where these streets kids are coming from and try to
empower the parents of kids with skills so they don't push their children to
street hustling," Pious added. No night out for street kids www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/121358_No-night-out-for-street-kids [accessed 24 September 2011] Government, grappling with the
growing problem of children roaming the streets, especially at nights, plans
to use retired policemen to keep them off and warned parents that they would
face prosecution. The Child Development Agency
(CDA), said the minister, would be seeking to find a location to house the
children where they would be cared for until their parents are located.
"We haven't really worked out the logistic, but we are going to also
find the parents and prosecute the parents," the minister added. Street kids dilemma www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/111037_Street-kids-dilemma [accessed 3 June 2011] The practice of putting
street-wise kids in foster care or children's homes is futile and will end in
rebellion, a clinical psychologist is warning Golding urges action to rescue street
children from violence, sexual abuse At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 June 2011] "At the rate that the
Possibility Programme is going, children are going
to be coming on the streets faster than you are able to accommodate them in
this programme. We really need to first of all get
hold of them and just rescue them," Golding
insisted "The kind of things they are
exposed to on the streets, the violence and the sexual abuse, we just need to
get hold of them and put them under some sort of care and guidance."
And, Davies insisted: "As well as to get to the root causes." Child Prostitution Widespread in www.ilocarib.org.tt/projects/childlabour/news/newspaper_articles/2002/jobserver-21jul02.pdf [accessed 3 June 2011] Children, Some As Young As 10 And
11 Years Old, Are Engaged In Prostitution. Study listed nine categories of
children engaging in sex for gain and said they were pushed basically by lack
of economic support, love and affection. The first of the nine
categories listed was children living and working on the streets, mostly boys
between ages 12 and 18 Violence Against Children in Dr. Joan Lesser, Dr. Marlene Cooper, and Yunena Morales, 30 minute Paper Presentation in English
at the Third International Conference On New Directions In Humanities, Humanities Conference 2005, h05.cgpublisher.com/proposals/549/index_html [accessed 3 June 2011] Within the last decade 22,000
youth were labeled "street children" who lived and worked in the
streets doing jobs such as machinery, welding, domestic work, care giving and newspaper delivery. Many turn to or are
forced into child prostitution and/or the drug trade in order to survive. Prostitution In Paul Andrew Bourne, able2know, 2 Sep, 2005 [accessed 3 June 2011] COMMERCIAL SEX WORKERS - Street and working children are a
particularly vulnerable group to prostitution. These children lack family and
social support. (Dunn, 2001) posits that small boys between the ages of 6 and
17 years were most exploited. They did not have the protection of adult
family members or institutional environment for support and as such were
exposed to extreme economic deprivation and abuse. Those involved in sexual
activity were between 12 and 18 years. The majorities were from very poor
backgrounds and were out of school; although a few attended school regularly
Dunn, (2001). "Nobody's Children"
Jamaican Children in Police Detention and Government Institutions Human Rights Watch Report, 1999 -- ISBN: 1-56432-230-0 www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/1999/jamaica/Jam995-01.htm#P212_9176 [accessed 3 June 2011] SUMMARY - In the island nation of Launch of Possibility Program Address By Prime Minister Rt. Hon. P.J. Patterson, Q.C.,
M.P. At Launch Of Possibility Programme At The
Hilton Kingston Hotel On Thursday, August 2, 2001 At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 June 2011] The Possibility Program is a
national program aimed at improving the lot of street children and youths
across the nation, by providing them with the resources, support and tools
for maximizing their human potential. It should enhance connectedness with
family, community and the larger society.
The ultimate goal of the Program is to eliminate the need for children
and youths to be on the streets, thereby breaking the cycle of poverty. St Andrew Rotary Club to build
hostel for street boys John Myers Jr., jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20040716/news/news1.html [accessed 3 June 2011] THE ROTARY Club of St. Andrew this
week announced plans to construct a US$250,000 hostel to accommodate street
boys in the Corporate Area as the main component of its centennial
project. The hostel will provide
temporary shelter for boys aged 10 to 18 years old who are registered under
the Possibility Program. National Consultation on Juvenile Justice Address By Rt. Hon. P.J. Patterson, Q.C., P.C. Prime
Minister On National Consultation On Juvenile Justice Jamaica Conference
Centre Thursday, August 16, 2001 At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 June 2011] Although it is still a minority of
young people that fall into these categories, it is nevertheless a
significant minority which could increase, if we do not put proper measures
in place, to rescue them and ensure that they are given every opportunity to
fulfill their God-given talents. Just recently, I launched the
Possibility Programme, a comprehensive plan to
address the problem of street children. Under this programme
we intend to rescue these children and re-socialise
them to become better-adjusted and productive members of the society. Ultimately, the problem of street
children can only be solved when there is greater societal concern and
awareness, and when parents are more responsible in their care of children. My Casual Observations and
Questions [DOC] Kiyoshi Abe, Professor of International Economics, Chiba
University Study Tour of Jamaica, Thursday, September 5 to Monday, September
9, 2002 At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 June 2011] (3) SCHOOL AND STREET CHILDREN - Literacy is high in BBC News, 13 September, 2003 news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3097882.stm [accessed 3 June 2011] "The majority of these women that
we work with in prison were the main caregivers - for both the mothers and
grandmothers, and the junior members - they were the main providers for the
household," she stated.
"Therefore once they are taken out of that, the situation is that
the elderly mothers end up with extended families, the children are all over
the streets and become street children because there's no-one there to care
for them." USAID/Jamaica - Success Stories United States Agency for International Development USAID At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 June 2011] [scroll down] EDUCATION – HARRY - An estimated 7,500 children
currently live on the streets of Street
Children Hooked On Ganja Erica jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20020324/lead/lead4.html [accessed 3 June 2011] She admitted that it will be hard
to keep them off the streets where they can make between $500 and $2,000 a
day begging, borrowing and threatening people. Caring For Street Children Dorothy Smith, Letter to the Editor, jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20011106/letters/letters3.html [accessed 3 June 2011] I had an experience sometime in
July of this year when two street children without the driver's permission
wiped the windscreen of the vehicle I was in and when told that there was no money
to pay them the picture was not a pretty one.
It is my belief that legislation should be enacted whereby the parents
of street children should be compelled to get these children off the street. Children First Children First www.jamaica-kidz.com/childrenfirst/ [accessed 24 September 2011] Children First is a newly transformed
independent non-governmental agency. The original project began in 1989 with
the support of Save the Children Fund (UK), with 50 street children. In The Midst Of Gang Violence,
Jamaican NGO Makes A Difference Michael Mogensen, Children and
Youth in Organised Armed Violencee
COAV, March 25, 2004 www.coav.org.br/publique/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm?UserActiveTemplate=_en&sid=42&infoid=660 [accessed 3 June 2011] Authorities estimate that there
are hundreds of street children living on or off the street in Human Rights Education for Street and Working Children:
Principles and Practice Tracey Holland, Human Rights Quarterly 20:1 Human Rights
Quarterly 20.1 (1998) 173-193 muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/human_rights_quarterly/v020/20.1holland.html [partially accessed 3 June 2011 - access restricted] Human rights can be used as tools
to help street and working children deal effectively with those difficult,
and often confrontational, situations that they must face on a daily basis. Throughout their lives, these
children are marginalized and forced to live through experiences that seem to
have no relationship whatsoever to such a concept as human rights. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE
RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT ARTICLES.
Cite this webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin, "Street Children - |
Human Trafficking in [Jamaica] [other countries]Street Children in [Jamaica Child Prostitution in [Jamaica] [other countries]