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CDA denies lying to IACHR
BY COREY ROBINSON Observer staff reporter robinsonc@jamaicaobserver.com
Thursday, November 12, 2009
THE Child Development Agency (CDA) Tuesday denied allegations that it misrepresented facts surrounding the treatment of juveniles in state care to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
The CDA was responding to claims by rights group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), that it falsified aspects of a report submitted to the IACHR last month.
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| (L-R) Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) executive director Dr Carolyn Gomes, spokesperson Susan Goffe, and legal counsel Shawn Wilkinson in discussion following Tuesday's press conference at the JFJ headquarters in Kingston. (Photo: Karl McLarty) |
"We have been making reports every six months for the last two years to the Inter-American Commission. I will stand by those reports and the integrity of those reports. I categorically deny any misrepresentation of facts to the Inter-American Commission," said Allison Anderson, head of the CDA.
However, at a press conference at the JFJ's Kingston headquarters early Tuesday, executive director Dr Carolyn Gomes criticised the CDA for presenting "half-truths" and "untruths" to the IACHR and called for the resignation of its head, Allison Anderson. The JFJ also called on the relevant authorities to probe the matter.
"We would accept that (Anderson's resignation); in fact, it is a recommendation that we have made," Gomes told the reporters at the conference. " Quite frankly, if you are going to put up a report in front of an international body that is not true, contains half-truths and outright untruths, then you need to go.
"I think if you have a job for six years to protect children, and seven children die this year alone in conditions that are inconceivable and unbearable, then you are failing to do your job. There are only 2,500 of them (juveniles) in residential care, there are only 6,500 in total. If we as the state of Jamaica cannot protect 2,500 children from abuse, neglect, lack of food, physical beating and death, then we are failing in our duty to our future," Dr Gomes added.
The JFJ alleged that in one instance the CDA failed to accurately report cases of neglect and abuse at the state-run homes.
"We note, for example, that the CDA raised as one of the elements in their report the fact that 'during the 2008/2009 period there were no signs of neglect or abuse reported by the monitoring officers on their visits to children's homes," said Susan Goffe, spokesperson for the JFJ.
"Jamaicans for Justice in our access to information requested and got the CDA's own monitoring officers' reports for five of the homes for that very period, and in just that select amount there were countless accounts of abuse that the CDA wrote in that very report.
"The grave nature of the ongoing problems are not served by the agencies of government failing to give honest, accurate responses and reporting, not only to us Jamaican people, but also to the international bodies which we are signatories to and what it is we are saying as our response to the international communities," Goffe added.
Tuesday, the JFJ also pressed for the disclosure of the findings of the enquiry into the fire which claimed the lives of seven wards at the Armadale juvenile centre in May.
"There are lessons to be learnt from that commission that need to be documented, and even though the terms of reference do not call for recommendations we believe that the commissioner could, based on what he learns, make recommendations that could be critical in ensuring that this never happens again and that people are held accountable," Goffe said.
"We are also saying that no promotions should occur in any field that is related, might be involved, or that was found to be involved at the Armadale commission of enquiry until after that report is presented."
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