Youth leaders tackled a number of topical

issues during Monday’s (November 11) sitting of the 10th National Youth

Parliament at Gordon House.

The young people, representing youth groups

from all across the island, engaged in spirited debate on the issue of

abortion, youth participation in the political process, youth violence, and

climate change, proffering a number of recommendations for the Government to

consider.

On the issue of abortion, the suggestion was made to have Jamaicans vote in the next general election on whether abortion should be allowed conditionally or unconditionally.

The youngsters called for the matter to be

given urgent attention in light of growing concerns about botched abortions,

which has now become the third leading cause of maternal death in the country.

Youth Parliamentarian, Tedra Morris, argued

that “every woman should have the right to secure a safe abortion from

qualified professionals at the best facilities using properly sterilised

instruments”.

“Women should have that moral right to

determine what should be done with their body,” she said, noting that it is the

poorer women in the society who were suffering the most.

Calls were also made for the Government to

allow young victims of rape and incest to undergo abortion without criminal

sanction, and if the State chooses not to go this route, that it partners with

the church to accept children who were conceived in those unfortunate

situations.

They said that the Government could look at

the Barbados model, which sanctions abortions based on the risk to a mother’s

life, rape, incest, the mother’s mental and physical state and whether the

child would suffer any physical or mental abnormality.

The vocal young leaders also called for the removal of the general saving law clause in the constitution, which prohibits any Jamaica from bringing a constitutional challenge to the laws governing abortion.

Meanwhile, as it relates to increasing

youth participation in the political process, a number of suggestions were put

forward, including implementation of the civic curriculum in secondary schools

and the use of electronic voting (e-voting) to include youth in the diaspora.

“It is time for Jamaica to join in on the

positive outcomes experienced by other countries, like Finland and Estonia, due

to the implementation of this system (e-voting),” said Jhanelle Todd.

“This means that young Jamaican

professionals that have migrated can still play a role in their country,” she

added.

Turning to youth violence, the young

parliamentarians proposed implementation of a positive parenting model, which

would offer mandatory classes for all parents who access the public health

system.

Also suggested were repeal of the maternity

law and replacement with a parenting leave law where both parents are granted

paid leave, and a tax exemption policy for employers who provide jobs for an

undefined number of at-risk youth.

On the matter of climate change, the young

people called for the establishment of a Climate Smart Endowment Fund for

climate change response strategies and activities and the creation of a

youth-in-action loan facility, which would be funded by a cess of $1 levied on

all polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.

Citing a 2018 study by the Caribbean Policy

Research Institute, which found that the country produced 650 million bottles

per year, Javon East argued that if the cess were instituted, it would be

possible to collect $650 million.

He said that the funds could be used to

empower youth to create business ventures that would support the country’s

climate change needs and boost the economy.

More than 100 youth leaders participated in

the National Youth Parliament.

The event was instituted in November 2003 as a non-partisan initiative aimed at providing youth from across Jamaica with a forum to express their views, network and debate issues of concern in the House of Representatives.

— JIS