Caribbean News
Bigger Urgency needed to end Violence against Children says UN Deputy Sec Gen
Garfield Ekon
Staff Writer
As the global community marks the 35th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, this year, there is a call for accelerated action with the “scale and urgency needed” to end violence against children.
Making the call, United Nations (UN), Deputy Secretary General, Amina J. Mohammed said there is a need for unity with “unyielding resolve to secure a world where violence against children is relegated to a memory of the past, as violence against children is widespread and pervasive, but it is also “preventable.
“Many countries committed to end childhood sexual violence, improve services for childhood violence survivors or tackle bullying, while others, to investment in critical parenting support or to introduce new digital safety initiatives and increase the legally permitted age of marriage,” she said while speaking at the UN Headquarters in New York, recently.
Adding that the period has witnessed the launch of a renewed global alliance of pathfinding countries to accelerate efforts to end violence against children, she said there are less than six years remaining to keep the promise of the 2030 Agenda to end violence against children.
“There is growing evidence on what works in combatting violence against children. The building blocks are there. And they must be placed on a foundation of political will and a unified approach to put children first. Knowledge and commitment must be translated into concrete,
sustainable and accelerated action,” the UN official said.
She pointed out that violence against children takes many forms, be it physical, sexual, or emotional, online and offline, and that every four minutes, a child is killed by an act of violence somewhere in the world. About 90 million children alive today have experienced sexual violence, and 35 percent of all identified victims of trafficking are children, while 246 million children experience violence in and around schools.
“And as technology evolves, the risks children face can be amplified, as we see from the increase in AI-generated child sexual abuse material seen online. The list goes on. In fact, I could spend my entire speech listing horrifying statistics, however, these statistics still fall short of depicting the full magnitude of this global tragedy,” she said.
Sharing that she will never forget the 15 young girls from Sudan that she met last August, who lived through, and continue to live through, the horrors and lasting trauma of violence and rape, the Deputy UN SG stated that she was also “inspired by their courage and conviction as they set about rebuilding their lives. Ready to take on their futures.
“It’s time we emulate that courage and fulfill the promise we made to end violence against children by 2030 – the least we can do to help heal their egregious wounds. The Transformative vision of the 2030 Agenda gives us a genuine pathway. So far, we are far off-track from our goal, for many seasons. But this is not the time to let our despair paralyze action,” she said.
She said here is hope, as ending violence against children is “within our grasp,” with examples of action by States, civil society and other stakeholders demonstrating that change is possible, and we see the digital environment offering opportunities, so the globe must maximize the benefits while minimizing the risks to children online.
The recently adopted Global Digital Compact provides a crucial framework for achieving that, she said.
“Families and communities also play a critical role. Parents and caregivers are essential in fostering a secure and nurturing environment, and letting children have their childhood. Most importantly, we see children, young people and survivors becoming more involved in action to tackle violence against children,” she said.
Caribbean News
Sandals Corporate University Wins Double Gold in AI Innovation and Hands-On Hospitality Training
Montego Bay, St. James: Sandals Corporate University (SCU), the learning and development hub for Sandals and Beaches Resorts team members, continues to set the gold standard for excellence in AI implementation and training strategy as they celebrate their recent double win in the 2025 Brandon Hall GroupTM HCM Excellence Awards®.
Collaborating with Canadian-based corporate training company, Flint Learning Solutions, the SCU was awarded two gold medals for
projects submitted to the categories: Best Use of AI in Business Impact for elevating guest experiences with AI training and Best Learning in the Flow of Work for improving hospitality with on-the-job activities.
The awarding organisation, The Brandon Hall Group™, has, for over 30 years empowered and certified business excellence globally and through the HCM Excellence Awards®, which recognises organisations that have implemented best practices for initiatives in learning and development, talent acquisition and management, leadership development, human resources, sales performance, diversity, equity and inclusion and the future of work.
Highlighting the achievement, SCU’s Senior Corporate Director, Dr. Luz Longsworth stated, “the Hospitality industry requires a flexible and fast paced approach to on-the-job training and the SCU is excited about the possibilities for expanding the use of AI in its training model to enhance our team members’ learning experience and to ultimately continue providing our Sandals and Beaches Resorts guests with consistently excellent service.”
Lenise White, Sandals Resorts’ measurement and evaluation specialist also shared her enthusiasm about the win.
“The double gold win from the Brandon Hall Group™ is a tremendous recognition of the impact the SCU has made in transforming hospitality learning and service delivery. It signifies that our efforts to integrate AI into training are not only innovative but also delivering real business impact.”
The partnership between SCU and Flint has, since its application, redefined on the job learning, demonstrating how innovative technology and training can ease real-world business challenges in the hospitality industry. The programme establishes a new standard for hospitality talent development and has given way to the integration of personalised, AI-powered learning, geared towards enhancing team member capabilities and elevating the guest experience without disrupting daily operations.
“We’re incredibly proud of our partnership with Sandals Corporate University and the exceptional results we’ve achieved together. SCU’s
leadership in embracing innovative approaches to talent development has been instrumental in creating a programme that empowered employees to create the exceptional, memorable experiences that define the Sandals brand and keep guests returning year after year,” shared Flint’s Chief Executive Officer, James Glover.
The 2025 award entries were evaluated by a panel of veteran, independent senior industry experts, Brandon Hall Group analysts and executives based on their alignment to business needs and environment, programme design, functionality and delivery, innovation and creativity among other criteria.
“This year’s Excellence Award winners exemplify the transformative power of strategic human capital management. Through their innovative approaches to talent development and employee engagement, these organizations have not only achieved remarkable business outcomes but have also redefined what it means to create truly people-centric workplaces,” remarked Brandon Hall Group Chief Operating Officer and HCM Excellence Awards® Programme Leader, Rachel Cooke.
The win follows another exceptional achievement in AI-powered training after the SCU copped the bronze award for Best Corporate University in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Implementations from the Global CCU, earlier this year.
Photo Captions:
Header: A group of proud team members from Sandals South Coast team pose for a quick photo op after receiving their training completion certificates.
1st insert: Sandals Ochi Beach Resort General Manager, Carol Bourke (left) presents Learning and Development Manager, Joy Bernard with her certificate of recognition for the role that she played in administering the training initiative.
2nd insert: Ghislain Boutoulle, hotel manager at Beaches Turks and Caicos (right) beams as he congratulates bar department team member, Andrew Clarke on his successful course completion.
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