Chairman,

At the outset, I associate my delegation with the statement made by the representative of Algeria on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, Chile on behalf of CELAC and Barbados on behalf of CARICOM as I make my intervention on the agenda item now under discussion.

Mr. Chairman,

I thank the Secretariat for the reports presented on this agenda item. The Report of the Special Representative on Violence against Children, contained in document A/67/230, provides an avenue for increased discussion and attention to the situation of the world’s children. The report indicates that there have been considerable measures of progress amongst States at the national, regional and international levels in addressing the issue of violence against children.

Jamaica also welcomes the Special Representative’s efforts to reinforce the regional processes and governance mechanisms in support of national implementation efforts of which Jamaica, as a member of the Latin American and Caribbean region, has benefited greatly. We are especially pleased at the progress in this region which has ushered in three political declarations, road maps and the development of national agendas.

Mr. Chairman,

While we hail these efforts at the regional and international levels, we must also recognize the very important work being done at the national level. The Government of Jamaica over the last few years has made considerable progress and has embarked on a number of changes to enhance its institutional and legislative framework to address issues relating to the protection of children. the provisions of the , the Government of Jamaica has continued to develop and strengthen its domestic legislative framework.

The overarching legislation specific to protecting and enforcing the rights of children in Jamaica is the Child Care and Protection Act of 2004 (CCPA). The Act seeks to protect children from abuse, neglect, exploitation or ill-treatment and makes provisions for; inter alia, their educational, physical and emotional needs and their religious and spiritual views. The Act also makes a clear statement of parental and state responsibilities in the welfare of children, as well as the penalties applicable for failure to discharge said duties, and is bolstered by several other pieces of legislation.

In respect of the institutional framework, there are several key entities that exist to address the needs of children. The lead Agency is the Child Development Agency (CDA) which, pursuant to the CCPA, has overall responsibility for children who are in need of care and protection, namely those who are abused, neglected or abandoned, as well as for children who are experiencing behavioural problems. The CDA is complemented by the Office of the Children’s Registry, which is responsible for receiving and recording reports of children who have or are likely to be abused, and the Office of the Children’s Advocate, which is responsible for representing children in legal matters where their rights have been infringed by government ministries, departments and agencies.

Despite the progress made, there continues to be challenges (financial and otherwise) in respect of promoting and protecting children’s rights . the Government has drafted the National Plan of Action for an integrated response to Children and Violence for 2011–2016. It is a five year plan designed to foster an environment that protects children from violence, abuse and exploitation: promotes diversion programmes and community/family based rehabilitation, reintegration of children in conflict with the law and provides home/family based care for children without familial care. Emphasis is also being placed on strengthening public-private partnerships, community-based programmes and improving parenting skills to ensure that there is a holistic and comprehensive approach to address violence in the society.

Mr. Chairman,

The Government of Jamaica remains committed to improving the lives of children and young people globally. In this regard, we welcome the continued input and collaboration of all relevant partners. The protection and promotion of the rights of children is everyone’s business and, as such, I strongly encourage all members of the society to become more conscious of their responsibility to protect and defend the rights of our children.