THE latest research on violence against children, child sexuality, parenting and other pressing issues concerning children’s rights will be unveiled today at the third Caribbean Child Research Conference at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.

Researchers from the Caribbean region, the United States and the United Kingdom will present their work at the two-day conference, being held under the theme ‘Promoting Child Rights through Research: Building a Region Fit for Children’.

The presenters include a number of eminent Jamaican academics from the University of the West Indies, Mona. They include Dr Maureen Samms-Vaughan, professor of child development and behaviour; Dr Aldrie Henry-Lee, senior research fellow, Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies; Elsa Leo-Rhynie, professor emerita, distinguished researcher 2007; and Professor Julie Meeks-Gardner, head of the Caribbean Child Development Centre.

“Each year, the multi-disciplinary conference aims to share the most current research on children, strengthen the network of researchers on children’s issues, and encourage new research in areas that are often under-researched. Knowledge generation and the use of disaggregated/child-specific data are essential for evidence-based policy development, planning, programming, legislation review and reform,” said a release yesterday from the organisers.

Over 200 students from across Jamaica have been invited to the conference and should learn more about the issues emerging from the research and to participate in the sessions, said the release. “In keeping with the tradition of the conference, an outstanding child researcher and a distinguished adult researcher or institution will be honoured for their research on children’s issues,” added the release.