PNP groups demand passage of Portia-era child abuse bill

Two auxiliary arms of the People's National Party (PNP) have called for urgent passage of a bill that was tabled in parliament in 2016 that aimed to to introduce harsher penalties for crimes against children.

The bill, Criminal Justice (Administration) (Amendment) Act, 2016, was tabled by former prime minister Portia Simpson Miller. It proposes that an additional penalty of up to 10 years' will apply in circumstances where life imprisonment is not imposed as the original penalty for the particular offence.

However, where life imprisonment is imposed, the minimum period which the person shall serve before becoming eligible for parole shall be increased by 10 years.

Following the rape and murder of nine-year-old Kelsey Ferrigon in St Catherine last week, two arms of the PNP, namely the People's National Party Youth Organisation (PNPYO) and the PNP Patriots charged that Jamaica's justice system is failing to adequately prevent, deter, and address sexual violence, especially against our children. The groups argue that the Criminal Justice (Administration) (Amendment) Act, 2016, "has sat dormant for far too long" and that "our children cannot afford further delays".

At the same time, the PNPYO, headed by Senator Gabriela Morris, and the Patriots, led by Christopher Henry, called for the urgent establishment of a multi-stakeholder panel to review and make recommendations for improving the public accessibility of the sex offenders registry.

"This measure is not only about deterrence - it is about protecting vulnerable communities, empowering families, and ensuring that survivors do not suffer in silence while predators move unseen," the groups said.

Under the law, only the police, persons engaged in professional counselling of sex offenders, persons managing educational institutions where they are enrolled or seeking to be enrolled, persons managing facilities that treat vulnerable persons, as well as prospective employers and employees of sex offenders are allowed access to the register.