AFTER a spirited ‘parliamentary debate’ which threw out a call to castrate child sex offenders, scores of Jamaican youth yesterday called on the Government to impose harsher penalties for repeat offenders.

Expressing concerns about the continued occurrence of incidents of carnal abuse, more than 60 young people representing various organisations petitioned the Justice Ministry to lobby for further adjustments to the 2004 Child Care and Protection Act to penalise persons found guilty child sex offences.

They were participating in the fourth sitting of the National Youth Parliament at Gordon House.

The youngsters said that while they supported the Act, the present sanctions did not represent a sufficient deterrent to perpetrators who, even after serving time, often repeat the offence.

A call for the castration of such individuals from the ‘Opposition Bench’ was, however, shot down by members of the ‘Government side’ who said that while they were in favour of harsher penalties, respect for human rights should still be considered. The ‘Opposition’, however, stuck to its guns, arguing that incarceration of offenders was no guarantee that they would not return to their old ways, hence the call for castration.

The young people also urged the Government to fast-track the establishment of a national sex offenders registry, saying this would serve as an effective safeguard and discourage repeat offences.

Police statistics for major crimes from January to July 1 this year show that there were 238 reported cases of carnal abuse, a 38 per cent jump over the 173 cases reported during the corresponding period last year.

For August, 11 cases of carnal abuse were reported to the police compared to 41 reported in August 2005.

Under the Child Care and Protection Act, life imprisonment is the penalty for carnally knowing and abusing a girl under 12 years of age, while an attempt attracts a 10-year sentence. Carnally knowing and abusing a girl 12-16 years attracts a seven-year sentence.

Also, under the provision, cruelty to children attracts a $1-million fine.

The youth parliamentarians also recommended a ban on the showing of “hardcore pornography on local and cable television stations”. They argued that such material was not fit for children, and fed the appetites of the perpetrators of sexual violence against females and children in particular.

The group, however, said it had no intention of placing all the blame squarely at the feet of station owners and content distributors. In fact, they said parents and guardians should play their part in screening their children’s viewing habits.

They also argued that the attempt to rate programmes was far from adequate as sometimes unsuitable material was still shown.

The youth parliamentarians also called for increased action by members of the security forces to rid the streets of pornographic DVDs and magazines, saying these contributed to the deterioration in the society’s moral and ethical values.

They also questioned what measures were being put in place to prevent the upcoming general elections from dissolving into a “bloody civil war”, citing concerns that unemployed Jamaicans were at risk of being caught in the sweep of violence, signs of which are already being seen.

The debate, which was organised by the Ministry of Education and Youth’s National Centre for Youth Development in celebration of Youth Month, provided a forum for the youth to debate a range of issues, including the issuance of condoms in high schools, child pornography, sexual and child abuse and the naming of former Prime Minister Michael Manley, Reggae superstar Robert (Bob) Marley and cultural icon Louise Bennett as national heroes.

The youth parliamentarians assumed the posture of the members of the lower house; there was a prime minister and leader of government business, an acting opposition head and leader of opposition business for the day.