Report child abuse cases to us — OCR

Jamaica Observer

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

THE Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR) has made another appeal to members of the public to immediately report suspected cases of abuse to the Registry.

The OCR’s latest appeal comes in the aftermath of a recent report of a two-year-old boy, identified only as 'baby Joshua', whose decomposing body was found in a suitcase in his parents’ home. It is reported that members of the community had suspected that something was wrong but were not certain.

Registrar at the OCR, Greig Smith, said members of the public should err on the side of caution.

“It is better to report suspicion of child abuse so that the necessary investigations may be carried out to verify whether the report is valid or not, than to risk further injury to or death of the child,” Smith said.

Newly appointed Minister of Youth and Culture Lisa Hanna, issued a similar appeal in her remarks at the OCR’s 5th Anniversary Church Service held on Sunday at the Andrews Memorial Seventh Day Adventist Church.

"Our children are our most critical resources in building a sustainable country” and appealed for persons to “open your eyes and become more vigilant of cases of child abuse and do not be afraid to report it,” Hanna said.

Under the Child Care and Protection Act (2004), it is an offence to fail to report known or suspected child abuse to the Children’s Registry. The penalty for such an office includes imprisonment for six months, a fine of $500,000 or both.

Persons who wish to make a report to OCR may do so by calling the Toll Free number 1-888-PROTECT (1-888-776-8328) or by calling 908-2132/ 822-7031 (LIME) or 878-2882 (Digicel) between the hours 7:00am to 11:00 pm, Monday to Friday. People may also visit the Children’s Registry at 12 Carlton Crescent, Kingston 10 or fax the report to 908-0246 or email it to reports@ocr.gov.jm.

Since its inception, the OCR has received over 24,000 reports of child abuse, with an estimated 7000 reports received in 2011 alone.