As Jamaica again begins its annual observation of Child Month, we are heartened by the fact that the Child Development Agency (CDA) has said that it will use the occasion to strengthen its focus on the mental, physical and nutritional health of the 4,400 children who are currently in State care.

According to the CDA boss, Mrs Rosalee Gage-Grey, the agency will be partnering with the National Child Month Committee in executing approximately 25 activities island wide in keeping with the national theme ‘Healthy Children Build a Stronger Nation’.

Miss Rochelle Dixon, the CDA’s public relations and communications manager, has also told us that the activities will concretise the agency’s commitment to children. “We want them to be empowered and confident that they can achieve their goals,” she is reported as saying. “We celebrate our children daily, however, we use the month of May to get them involved in activities that they are unable to do or have never done before.”

The list of activities — which includes motivational sessions, youth fora and, especially, the observance of National Children’s Day on Friday, May 13, where Jamaicans are encouraged to wear yellow as a show of solidarity for the celebration of all children in Jamaica – is quite impressive.

We are, therefore, urging as many Jamaicans as possible to support these activities, as it is important that we ensure that our children are protected and that they are allowed to live their dreams.

But outside of participating in these events, we encourage all well-thinking Jamaicans to commit themselves to educating those among us who harbour the flawed belief that children are not important. For it is those individuals who, in most instances, subject children to physical, verbal and mental abuse.

That there are 4,400 children now in the care of the State is not something that we should be proud of. Ideally, Jamaica should get to the stage where there is no need for this type of facility. But this is not a perfect world, therefore we have to deal with the reality that varying circumstances will result in some children becoming wards of the State.

Against that background, the authorities, led by the Government, have a duty to ensure that children who find themselves in need of State help are protected from abuse of all forms, and that they are equipped with knowledge and skills that will mould them into responsible citizens.

This, we hold, is a mandate that should be met year-round, and not only in the month of May.

To be fair, the child protection agencies have been doing the best they can with the limited resources allocated to them. We suspect that in the tight financial space in which Jamaica now exists, those resources will not be increased significantly, if at all, especially given the myriad demands on the budget that are considered urgent and extremely vital.

However, we believe that seeing to the well-being of our children is indeed vital. As such, we encourage individuals and companies with the means to help these agencies in whatever way they can.

Our children deserve it.