Ja Youth Say Protecting Children Should be Top Priority
Children and Youth Dialogue with UNICEF Regional Team
KINGSTON, 25 October 2024 – Violence against children and the effects on their mental health were among the top issues that children and youth raised this week with UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Anne-Claire Dufay.
The youths spoke passionately about the ways in which violence was affecting children and adolescents in Jamaica, the need for transformation in the education system and the importance of inclusion especially for children with disabilities. The school nutrition policy, mental health, child justice, and climate action rounded out the key subject areas which were raised for attention.
UNICEF Jamaica created the opportunity for the children and youth, whose ages range from 8 to 24, to address the Deputy Regional Director and share their perspectives on issues impacting them.
In her contribution to the discussions, Executive Director of the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN), Shannique Bowden said that it was important to reduce the incidence of non-communicable diseases among school children which is on the increase, a worrying trend in the health system. Implementing front of package warning labels, marketing unhealthy foods to children and the school nutrition policy were also deep concerns which she discussed.
Responding to the concerns, Mrs. Dufay expressed hope for Jamaica's future and pointed out that the youngsters were not only outlining the issues but proposing creative and innovative solutions. Among the recommendations were ensuring that children and youth were given a seat at decision-making tables and involving young minds in crafting better and more inclusive answers to the challenges that continue to daunt and stymie the progress of vulnerable groups.
Thanking the youth for speaking up and maximising their opportunity to meet with the regional team, UNICEF Jamaica Representative, Olga Isaza said that she was encouraged to hear the views of the youth as they represented their peers. She assured them that UNICEF was actively listening and would stand with them in advocating for their rights to be respected and fulfilled in every sphere and especially in those matters that were of critical concern to them.
Mrs. Dufay is visiting Jamaica for field visits and meetings as part of UNICEF Jamaica’s mid-term review. She is accompanied by Maaike Arts, Regional Adviser for Health and Nutrition; Italo Dutra, Regional Adviser for Education; and Janita Bartell, Monitoring Specialist for the Region.
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UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
For more information about UNICEF and its work for children in Jamaica, visit www.unicef.org/jamaica.
