KINGSTON, Jamaica — Dr Herbert Gayle of the UWI department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work, has called on civil society groups to observe ethical guidelines in carrying out research for advocacy.

Gayle made the call at the first of a series of trainings on March 15 – 16, 2017, under the European Union funded project of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) and the Jamaica Civil Society Coalition (JCSC), which are geared toward improving civil society’s capacity to conduct research based advocacy.

Gayle in a release urged participants to “report research findings in a manner that is honest and factual even if the hard facts make people uncomfortable”.  He also encouraged them to aim to conduct research that will positively impact society.

Coming out of the training the Parish Aids Association and the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN) have joined forces to carry out participatory action research on access to youth friendly, sexual and reproductive health services in Jamaica.

The research will ascertain the major challenges that youth 16 – 19 years old face in relation to their sexual and reproductive health and rights including their access to accurate information.

It will examine the legislative framework and the extent to which this acts as a barrier to access to accurate information and appropriate services.

The Parish Aids Association and JYAN are just two of 15 organisations being trained and which will conduct research in areas that are critical for a successful national and regional HIV response.

This research drive will span a period of eight weeks and will enable civil society groups to put theory into practice and strengthen their contribution to national and regional development.