Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Children's right advocate Margarette Macaulay is advocating for a Legal Unit in Jamaica to investigate as well as prosecute all crimes against children. Macaulay, who is also an attorney, is blaming legislators for the tardy resolution of crimes against children. She said that not only is the Care and Protection Act inadequate, but it has been too slow in implementation. It is reported that the police have solved less than half of the murders of children since 2003, according to data from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). The data revealed that, of the 398 murders of children up to 17 years old, only 195 have been cleared up. She also said that the legal structure of the Family Court, intimidates children, and calls for the updating of supporting legislation particularly the Incest Punishment Act.
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