KINGSTON, Jamaica— The police are investigating a number of cases involving pregnant 12-year-old girls, the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange has revealed.

She made the revelation on Thursday during her appearance before the Parliament’s Standing Finance Committee to explain how her ministry’s budget will be spent during the 2023/24 fiscal year which gets underway on April 1.

Specifically, Grange said several 12-year-olds are pregnant and are being provided with assistance by the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation at its various locations across the country. She divulged that several of the girls are pregnant with twins.

With Jamaica’s age of consent being 16, Grange stressed that the situation “was a police matter”.

“We (the Women’s Centre) have an arrangement where once a teenager gets pregnant, the centre’s programme is activated,” Grange outlined while stressing that law enforcement is notified (where the girl is underage).

“If that young lady turns up at say a clinic or hospital, it is reported to us, so we get reference from CISOCA or the Ministry of Health and if it comes to our attention before it goes through those processes we will (also contact CISOCA),” said Grange.

She added that “There is a network that ensures that it is reported because it’s an offence and (also ensures) that these young mothers, pregnant teenagers are cared for through their pregnancy”.

Grange lauded the Women’s Centre for its work which she described as excellent and she appealed to both the private sector and her colleague Members of Parliament to provide support to the centre’s 18 locations.

Each year the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation provides support to hundreds of teenaged mothers. The centre implements the Government’s Programme for Adolescent Mothers under which pregnant teenagers get to continue their education while receiving the necessary support to look after their children, including day care services.