SENATOR Norman Grant on Friday advocated “extraordinary measures” to ensure that murderers of children are brought to justice and receive the highest possible punishment.

The government senator urged his colleagues to condemn the action of “those who continue to attack our nation’s children, in any form.”

In a private member’s motion, Senator Grant said that the gruesome and wanton killing of innocent children during the past year had left an indelible mark of tragedy on the hearts of concerned individuals within Jamaica, with crime against children now rapidly increasing, placing the security of the nation’s future in jeopardy.

Citing police statistics, he said 105 children were killed during 2005, with seven being slain in one week, and the total to date for 2006 was more than 20.

His motion reads, in part:

“And whereas the public and the private sectors, non-governmental organisations, churches and stakeholders within the various strata of our society need to take a firm stance to ensure that these senseless killings do not escalate, but rather come to an end.

“Be it resolved”, he said, “that criminals who are found guilty of these brutal murders receive the highest possible punishment for their crimes, and to this end, extraordinary measures be taken to ensure that these persons are brought to justice so that a clear signal is given to the criminals that their actions will no longer be tolerated in today’s Jamaica.”

Grant is asking the Senate to commend the government for its enactment of the Child Care and Protection Act and the establishment of the office of Children’s Advocate to investigate and represent cases of violation of children’s rights, while working, he said, towards the drastic reduction of the 14,000 cases of child abuse reported annually by the Child Development Agency.