Concerns have been raised by a Jamaican man that the mother of a 14-year-old girl was jailed recently because she failed to report to the police that the child was sexually molested.
The girl reportedly had a baby as a result of the sexual molestation.
"I think this case should be a reminder to all parents who hide or cover up sexual attacks on their children when in most cases the wrongdoers are known to the parents," the man said.
"When I was a child I knew of several cases in which underage girls became pregnant for relatives or family friends and the parents or guardians did not report the matter to the police.
"Now that I am an adult, I have known of a few cases in which schoolgirls get pregnant for grown men and the parents or guardians refuse to make reports to the police so that those men could be arrested.
"I feel a bit of sympathy for the girl's mother who was jailed recently for refusing to report the sexual abuse of her daughter because it could stem from embarrassment, fear or lack of knowledge.
"It is my view that the government should run advertisements from time to time on the radio stations so that the citizens can know that withholding information involving abuses of children can land them in jail," he added.
The Child Care and Protection Act which came into effect in March 2004, places a responsibility on persons who have information that children are being abused.
Section 6 of the act states in part, that a person who has information that a child "has been, is being or is likely to be abandoned, neglected or physically or sexually ill-treated or (b) is otherwise in need of care and protection" to report the matter to the police or the Children's Registry.
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