Health ministry suspends Yute Chatz service over concerns it's promoting deviant sexual behaviour to children
Published:Monday | June 24, 2024 | 11:52 AM
The Ministry of Health is suspending its Yute Expressions Yute Chatz chat line amid concerns about the sexual and reproductive health advice being given to children through the service.
In a media release on Monday the ministry said it has noted the concerns raised by members of the public and is assessing them as they relate to the Health and Family Life Policy of the Government of Jamaica.
It said the service would be suspended in the interim, while the assessments are being conducted.
A flier circulated by the Love March Movement claimed the Ministry of Health was "promoting deviant sexual behaviour" to children through the Yute Chatz application.
It said the app endorsed the idea that "gender is a personal choice, not a biological reality", that it was advocating LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) ideologies and directing children to the seek advice from a local gay-rights group.
In its release today the ministry outlined that Yute Expression's Yute Chatz is a chatbot launched by the National Family Planning Board (NFPB) in collaboration with UNICEF and U-Report Jamaica and has been operational since January 2024.
It said further to the actions related to the Public Sector Transformation Programme and the decisions related to the rationalisation of public bodies, it will be integrating the NFPB as a division of the ministry.
As part of the process of integration, the ministry said it will review all programmes and activities of the NFPB to determine how they will be implemented as part of the central ministry.
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