MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica — Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck is urging Jamaicans to encourage family members, among others, who are being abused, to seek assistance from the Ministry’s Victim Services Division (VSD) offices islandwide.

“The thousands of domestic [and other] abuses… that occur daily… in our homes across Jamaica must stop. It is not fair to our children, to our women and families. Our women are suffering in silence, and we ask those who know of family members who are abused to encourage them to come to Victim Services. We have a Victim Services office in every parish,” the Minister implored.

Minister Chuck was speaking during the Legal Aid Council (LAC) justice fair, held at the Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay, St James, last Friday.

Chuck used the opportunity to encourage citizens to take advantage of the wide-ranging justice services available islandwide.

“We are happy, as a government, that so many services are being provided. But, unfortunately, far too many Jamaicans are not aware of all of these services,” he pointed out, underscoring the importance of the justice fairs, noting that they bring vital information and services directly to citizens.

“I think it’s important that we continue this drive to go into the nooks and crannies of Jamaica, to tell people about the various services being offered by the government through the Ministry of Justice, because far too many Jamaicans are taking the law into their own hands,” he emphasised, pointing out that “they are using threats, abuses and violence to solve problems.”

“Instead of everyone taking matters into their own hands and using unlawful means to resolve conflicts and disputes, they can access the alternative justice programmes and ensure that their problems are resolved in a peaceful and amicable way,” he urged, highlighting that “we have so many appropriate mechanisms to deal with challenges, problems that people may have.”

According to a release on Tuesday, the VSD supports the Ministry’s mandate of providing social justice services to Jamaicans, through the delivery of psychosocial support to victims of crime, as well as advancing efforts to promote their rights.

Among the services offered at the fair were free legal advice, expungement, restorative justice, probating of wills/estate, processing of birth/death certificates, late registration of birth, passport services, consumer affairs matters, agricultural services, services from the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), and health checks.