KINGSTON, Jamaica — A team of first responders from the Child Development Agency (CDA) has visited the five-year-old girl who was injured during a shooting incident in Denham Town, downtown Kingston, on Sunday.

However, CEO for the CDA Rosalee Gage-Grey has said that the CDA’s first responders were unable to provide counselling and other support due to the tense atmosphere in the community.

“Our officers have been in dialogue with the police to ascertain the current security threat level following the killing of the two-year-old a week ago and now the injuring of the five-year-old girl. Since we are unable to visit the communities, we will be reaching out to neighbouring schools,” she said.

Gage-Grey highlighted that when a child dies, the impact is devastating for the families and for the team at the agency who report on matters of this nature.

“I call on members of society to play their part in ensuring that the welfare of the nation’s children is protected. The perpetrators of such horrific assault on our children have shown that they have no heart and respect for life,” Gage-Grey stated.

With fewer than three months before the commemoration of World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse, the CDA said it will resume its community walk-through programme used to sensitise children and families around issues surrounding the care and protection of children.

“Last year we lost 75 children who were killed under violent and tragic circumstances, the killing of our children must stop,” she insisted.

Meanwhile, the Child Development Agency expressed condolences to the families affected and moved to assure the public that joint efforts between child protection agencies and security personnel will be rolled out to stymie these unfortunate incidents being faced by the nation’s children.