Caribbean News

JAMAICA: Work of Parenting Support Commission key in addressing crime says Senator Reid

Published

6 years ago

November 4, 2017

#Jamaica, November 4, 2017 – Kingston – Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Government, through the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC), is committed to providing parents with the necessary training and support to raise their children, as a first line of defence against crime.

“It is no longer the Ministry of National Security (only) that is really going to arrest the crime problem in Jamaica. It is the (Education) Ministry, through the NPSC, because we have to change behaviour so that we have positive behaviour,” he said.

Senator Reid, who was speaking at the media launch of National Parent Month 2017 on Wednesday (November 1) at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston, said that responsible and effective parenting can help in avoiding future delinquency.

“We have a situation where homes are broken and a lot of children fall between the cracks. There is a good chance that these (children) will grow up to be criminals and repeat offenders,” he argued.

The NPSC has collaborated with public- and private-sector entities on various programmes to engage and train parents in effective parenting techniques. Among them are the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education’s Parenting Education Project; the National Integrity Action’s ‘Take the Time’ marketing campaign; and the Ministry of Education’s Safe Schools project.

“National Parenting Month enables us to give more targeted focus on the various ways in which we can help each other to create a better society,” the Minister said.

Annually observed in November, the month seeks to recognise and celebrate the important role of parents/guardians in society.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NPSC, Kaysia Kerr, said the month of activities, under the theme ‘Be the Influence’, is a call to action for parents to strive to give the best care and guidance possible to their children.

“We believe that, this year, our efforts bring with it a different energy. Whereas we see the month of November as a time to celebrate parents, we must respond in a very deliberate and targeted way to the urgencies in society that are all too clear. The NPSC must bring into focus matters related to parenting that need urgent attention and sustained efforts to improve,” she said.

The month of activities will include a church service on November 5 at the Calvary Baptist Church in Montego Bay; Parent Villages at Hope Gardens in Kingston on November 11, and November 25 in Jarrett Park, Montego Bay; and parent mentor’s community fora dubbed ‘From Street Talk to Real Talk’ in Breastworks, Portland, on November 14, and at Hermitage in St. Andrew on November 30.

Release: JIS

Caribbean News

STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS EXPECTED TO ASSIST GOV’T PLANNING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Published

21 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Shanieka

KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.

This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.

“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.

He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).

Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.

“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.

“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.

Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.

Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.

The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.

The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.

NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.

CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON

Caribbean News

Haiti- ECHO humanitarian efforts

Published

2 days ago

April 29, 2024

Shanieka

Rashaed Esson

Staff writer

#Haiti#Crisis#HumanitarianEfforts#ECHO, April 23rd, 2024 – Due to the worsening Humanitarian crisis in Haiti with an increase in death toll and injured people, The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), launched an emergency airlift of 5 flights carrying essentials which include up to 62 tons of medicine as well as emergency shelter equipment, and water and sanitation items. These were brought to Cap Haitien according to a report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on April 19, as the international Airport in Port au prince remains closed following the gang attack last month.

Caribbean News

Dominica repeals laws criminalizing gay sex

Published

2 days ago

April 29, 2024

Shanieka

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#Dominica#LGBTQIA, April 24, 2034- Dominica has decided to remove colonial era laws that criminalized gay sex, joining Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda.

This comes almost five years after a man of the queer community, whose identity was withheld for his safety, spoke out against Dominica’s laws in 2019, saying they violated his rights.