“ The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children.” Nelson Mandela

As a feminist and gender advocate and as a mother of two girls and one boy, I believe it is important to unite and protect all our children and not create a gender divide by advocating to protect women and girls only. While data supports that the vast majority of rape cases are against girls, from speaking to mothers and other organizers in various communities, I have learnt that a large number of our boys are being raped, trafficked and abused but because of the homophobia in the society their suffering has been silenced, and those cases are not being reported.

We must no longer feed the divide and pit girls against boys or we will reap the consequences down the road. W must begin to be inclusive and insist that we protect all the children in our society that is steeped in violence, where men and boys are some 80% of  the perpetrators. As we celebrate Child Month under the lofty, but important theme: “Children Need our Love and Protection- Get Involved,” let us ask and answer these questions: From what and whom does our children need protection?  How can we re-energize and activate the concept of a village raising a child that is wholistic and meaningful? What systems must the government put in place to ensure that our children, on a daily-basis, are protected? What guidance and instructions do parents need to be more effective, daily demonstrate love, commitment and protection? What steps need to be taken to ensure that the rights of every child are protected?

The Thursdays in Black Initiative to end gender-based violence, of which I am the Coordinator, for the last three years has been working weekly to bring awareness and education to this issue in Jamaica, to get all Jamaicans involved as it requires our collective will and determination to end this plague. Violence against our children is part of the larger violence in society and we must get to the root cause if we desire to live in a Jamaica where such acts are seen as heinous, and not just another incident to shake our heads over and move on.  In this month of celebrating the achievements of children as well as their precarious situation, concerned adults and parents must sit down and talk with our children and listen to them. They can provide alternative solutions that we might not have thought about.

We must be mindful of the trending disparity between boys and girls in educational achievement and look at alternative best practices that will keep our boys motivated to advance in academic status with the girls.  We must also simultaneously examine and rectify GBV against our girls and also provide them with sufficient information to stem the tide of teenage pregnancy and the spread of HIV and other SIDs among girls 15 and older. Girls and boys need to be informed of their fundamental rights and how to ensure that those rights are protected. We need to engage them more in protecting the environment on which their future hinges. We need to involve them in the political process so they can be agents of change who will not only protect the environment, but ensure we have a democratic society that is home-grown and governed for the benefit of all the people and not just a minority.

All our children are in need of love and protection.  They must be assured that they are valuable and can and must contribute to the development of our society. We must socialize and allow boys to express the full range of their emotional landscape; we must give our girls a voice to speak out against and stop sexual and other forms of abuse. We must penalize those men and women who target underage children for sexual exploits, and we must introduce in the school system and other institutions a process to promote true equality and fairness for our girls and boys, and teach them how to effectively communicate in non-violent ways, and treat each other with respect and dignity.  It is our job and obligation as adults to model and reinforce these foundational practices.  I concur with Nelson Mandela who asserts, “Safety and security don’t just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.” 

 My fellow Jamaicans, let’s be intentional and love and protect our children not just during Child Month but 365 days, 24/7. We must build a solid foundation for our future.