Hurricane Melissa deepens Jamaica’s child labour crisis
Published:Friday | November 14, 2025 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Recently, while driving through New Kingston, I stopped at a traffic light and saw two visibly young boys weaving between cars, asking for change to buy a meal. When I gently urged them to go home to their parents, one replied, “Yes, me madda know me out here, miss.” My heart ached as I watched them walk away – barefoot, hungry, and far too young to be on the streets.
Even before Hurricane Melissa, child labour particularly in St James and Kingston was a growing national concern. The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines child labour as work that deprives children of their childhood, potential, and dignity, while harming their physical or mental development. Such labour often keeps children out of school or forces them to juggle education with long, exhausting hours of work, leaving little room for proper learning or rest.
According to a 2019–2020 study of Children Living and Working on the Street commissioned by the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), approximately 190 children were actively working on the streets in the specified areas of Majestic Gardens in Kingston, Old Harbour in St Catherine and Retirement in St James; communities long affected by poverty, crime, and limited access to social services. As of April, community intervention programmes had successfully reached about 170 of them, or roughly 90 per cent, through outreach, counselling, and reintegration into school or family life.
However, the devastation left behind by Hurricane Melissa has reversed much of this progress. Many families have lost their homes, livelihoods, and stability. With schools temporarily closed and basic needs unmet, children are increasingly returning to the streets to seek food, money, or assistance from passersby. Some are even becoming targets of exploitation by adults who take advantage of their vulnerability.
The Ministry of Labour and the CPFSA should deploy additional social workers, counsellors, and community officers in the hardest-hit areas. These professionals play a vital role in identifying at-risk children and connecting them with support networks. Urgent, coordinated action is needed to provide nutritional aid, temporary housing, education access, and family rebuilding assistance.
If we fail to act now, and to do so decisively, we risk losing a generation to poverty and neglect. The children of Jamaica deserve safety, education, and the freedom to dream not a life of survival on the streets.
AFRICKA STEPHENS
Executive Founder
Fi We Children Foundation