Letter of the Day | Who and where are the fathers?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

We are all aware of the tragic fact that over 60,000 young females have been made teenage mothers in the last decade. As the discussion over raising the age of consent to 18 continues, Senator Crawford should be encouraged to utilise his platform to pose an even more crucial question: Who and where are the biological fathers of their children? Though his proposal has a place, I think it is of greater significance that we remove ourselves from a numbers debate and focus on an actual issue that suffuses our society.

Undoubtedly, we have heard of cases in which the men that robbed them of their youth are adult males who are by law, guilty of carnal abuse. These men are sexual predators whose actions should not be made light. In a bid to correct this matter, it is imperative that we look to stronger penalties and greater enforcement of the current laws.

On the books today, in the Offences Against the Person Act, a felony, which relates to girls under the age of 12, carries a maximum penalty on conviction of life imprisonment.

On the contrary, for girls aged 12 to 16, this offence is categorised as a misdemeanour, with a potential sentence of seven years in prison. Why is there such a large disparity? I am sure all well-meaning Jamaicans would welcome a reconsideration of the maximum penalty.

Many Jamaicans are well aware of instances where someone is proverbially robbing the cradle, but all too frequently, they keep silent or, at most, voice their displeasure of the conduct without reporting the issue to the appropriate authorities.

The time for action is now. Each Jamaican has their part to play, from the parents or guardians of these teenagers to the neighbours within the community. Child protection is everybody’s business and we need to address these issues as if it is among the greatest of evil that threatens our future.

WADE BROWN

Vice President

Young Jamaica