KINGSTON, Jamaica: The second of three national shelters being established by the Government to accommodate women who are victims of abuse, and their children, is set to open shortly.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Denzil Thorpe, made the disclosure while addressing the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) church service on Sunday. The service, which was held at the Constant Spring Road Church of God, was observed under the local theme: ‘Safer Spaces for Women and Girls.’

“We are currently working on shelter two, which should be opened soon and shelter three, which will be coming, hopefully, in the New Year,” Thorpe said.

The first shelter was opened in 2020.

Thorpe, who represented portfolio Minister, Olivia Grange at the church service, noted that the establishment of the shelters is in keeping with the National Strategic Action Plan to eliminate gender-based violence in Jamaica.

He said that strategic priority two of the plan requires that the Government “provide the necessary protections, including safer spaces for women and girls.” Thorpe noted that the Government has taken a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of gender-based violence and is committed to implementing policies, programmes, and projects in this regard.”

He further added that “through our robust, comprehensive island-wide public education programme, we reinforce the strong message of no excuse for abuse.” Thorpe said that everyone has the fundamental right to be free from violence, arguing that the true measure of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens, including women, men, children, girls, the elderly and the disabled.

He appealed for faith-based organisations to partner with the Ministry “to challenge and to radically transform the culture of normalising violence.”

“This, we believe, is of critical importance if we are serious about creating safer spaces for all women and girls,” he said.

The observance of IDEVAW  on Thursday, November 25, will mark the launch of the UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, which is 16 days of activism concluding on International Human Rights Day on December 10. Thorpe said that during the period, the Ministry will engage key stakeholders in a series of activities.

On December 1, there will be a national training workshop for first-level responders to gender-based violence and will involve domestic violence officers, guidance counsellors, district constables and pastors.

On Human Rights Day, there will be a national empowerment programme with students in the Gender Ambassador Programme at the Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston, beginning at 10:00 am.