Gov't removing bureaucracy to safeguard children in need of care and protection, says Green

State Minister in the Ministry of Education Floyd Green says the Government is working to remove the bureaucracy that hinders the country from effectively reaching children who are in need of care and protection.

“As a Government, we are committed to act strategically in the best interest of our children because we want to ensure that the most vulnerable amongst us are effectively protected,” Green said.

He was addressing a Caribbean Meeting on International Child Protection which was held recently at the Courtyard by Marriott in St Andrew.

Representatives from more than 24 jurisdictions, including the Caribbean, North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific representing UNICEF, Reunite International Child Abduction Centre and the International Hague Network of Judges converged to discuss the operations and implementation of the Hague Child Protection Conventions. The meeting was hosted jointly by Jamaica’s Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) and The Hague Convention on Private International Law.

During the two-day conference, participants had the opportunity to discuss the Child Abduction Convention, the Intercountry Adoption Convention, the 1996 International Child Protection Convention and the 2007 Child Support Convention, all part of the Hague Conventions. Green said that in relation to The Hague Conventions, Jamaica passed legislation in 2017 to accede to the Convention and that in 2016 became a member of the United Nations (UN) Global Pathfinder Country.

For her part, Chief Executive Officer at the CPFSA, Rosalee Gage-Grey, said that the agency has made strides through a multi-agency approach to protect children within Jamaica’s borders with support from the Ministries of Education, Justice and National Security.

She noted that the first stakeholder information session on a National Plan of Action for an Integrated Response to Children and Violence was held recently in response to the spate of violence being meted out against children.

She lauded the work of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and said that the CPFSA remains committed to forming collaborative partnerships, both locally and globally, to empower and support children and families as part of nation-building.

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