Dear Editor,
The story published in the Observer newspaper on Friday, April 15, 2016, entitled ‘C’bean nationals nabbed in sex offenders clampdown’ should be of grave concern to us here in Jamaica.
The report stated that “nationals from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago were among 44 people arrested in the ‘Crimes Against Children’ operation in New Jersey”.
It went on to state that those arrested had been previously convicted of a variety of offences, including “sexual abuse of a minor, luring and enticing a child, sexual assault of a minor, child abuse, child neglect and indecent exposure”.
The end of the article read that: “In fiscal year 2015, ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) said it conducted 235,413 deportations nationwide.”
For a long time, we at Hear The Children’s Cry have been questioning the deportation policies and procedures regarding child sexual offenders: Are Jamaican authorities specifically and sufficiently alerted and informed of those deportees convicted of child sexual abuse, and how are those people processed when they arrive back home?
How are those deportees monitored after processing? What facilities and services are there for the reintegration and rehabilitation of child sex offenders?
Importantly, those same questions must be asked of convicted child sex offenders leaving our own prisons here in Jamaica.
This naturally brings into question the timetable for the implementation of the country’s long overdue Sex Offenders Registry.
Given the increase in sexual crimes against children, it is now urgent for the Jamaican Government to find an effective mechanism to protect the youngest members of the society from sexual molesters.
Since the experts tell us that paedophilia is incurable, the only way to protect children is through monitoring. At the moment, no such system exists for deportees or for local child molesters leaving prison.
We call upon the authorities to fix this problem and fix it quickly. Our precious children are at risk!
Betty Ann Blaine
Founder, Hear The Children’s Cry
bab2609@yahoo.com
The story published in the Observer newspaper on Friday, April 15, 2016, entitled ‘C’bean nationals nabbed in sex offenders clampdown’ should be of grave concern to us here in Jamaica.
The report stated that “nationals from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago were among 44 people arrested in the ‘Crimes Against Children’ operation in New Jersey”.
It went on to state that those arrested had been previously convicted of a variety of offences, including “sexual abuse of a minor, luring and enticing a child, sexual assault of a minor, child abuse, child neglect and indecent exposure”.
The end of the article read that: “In fiscal year 2015, ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) said it conducted 235,413 deportations nationwide.”
For a long time, we at Hear The Children’s Cry have been questioning the deportation policies and procedures regarding child sexual offenders: Are Jamaican authorities specifically and sufficiently alerted and informed of those deportees convicted of child sexual abuse, and how are those people processed when they arrive back home?
How are those deportees monitored after processing? What facilities and services are there for the reintegration and rehabilitation of child sex offenders?
Importantly, those same questions must be asked of convicted child sex offenders leaving our own prisons here in Jamaica.
This naturally brings into question the timetable for the implementation of the country’s long overdue Sex Offenders Registry.
Given the increase in sexual crimes against children, it is now urgent for the Jamaican Government to find an effective mechanism to protect the youngest members of the society from sexual molesters.
Since the experts tell us that paedophilia is incurable, the only way to protect children is through monitoring. At the moment, no such system exists for deportees or for local child molesters leaving prison.
We call upon the authorities to fix this problem and fix it quickly. Our precious children are at risk!
Betty Ann Blaine
Founder, Hear The Children’s Cry
bab2609@yahoo.com