JFJ denies being claimant in schoolgirl dreadlock case
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Human rights NGO Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) has said that contrary to public opinion, it was not party/claimant in the case of the five-year-old instructed to cut her dreadlocked hair to attend Kensington Primary and did not argue the full case before the Constitutional Court in 2020.
The organisation said that in 2018, attorneys from JFJ did file a claim on behalf of the family and secured an injunction allowing the child to return to school.
JFJ noted that its role was to initiate this case and provide services to the family at the time.
Subsequent to this ruling, however, JFJ said it was not involved in the case, explaining that the matter was continued exclusively by one of its former employees.
“We maintain that no child should be denied an education because of their hairstyle, and have called for the reform of the Education Act and Education Regulations to prevent this from happening to anyone else. We are keenly tracking the situation and await the written judgement to provide further comment,” the group said.
