THE island’s churches are being urged to give more focus to protecting and prioritising the nation’s children as cases of child abuse continue to plague the country.

Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) CEO Laurette Adams-Thomas made the call in an address to members of the Adventist uniformed group Pathfinders, in Mount Salem on Saturday, January 13, 2024.

While Adams-Thomas’s revelation that each month the CPFSA receives just over 1,000 reports of child abuse was not new data, the scale of the problem startled the more than 600 youth leaders and Pathfinders at the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Conference Centre.

“Every month we receive approximately 1,200 reports of child abuse, highlighting what I would say is the harsh reality that many of our children are currently facing. This issue is not just a statistic, it’s a call to action. It’s a call that echoes throughout our communities that we need to act,” Adams-Thomas said, adding “Globally, violence against our children remains a challenge and, unfortunately, Jamaica is not exempt.”

According to Adams-Thomas, a study done by United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) revealed 80 per cent of Jamaican children experience various forms of violence at home while another 65 per cent endure bullying at school.

“This is a stark reminder that our children need our protection, they need our support and guidance now more than ever. That is why the role of the Church in protecting and prioritising our children is so important. It’s not just a responsibility, it’s a divine calling,” Adams-Thomas told her audience.

“So, as a church community, I would want to implore you to answer the call to protect and prioritise our children. Together, with the assistance and guidance of the Church, we can create a safer and more nurturing environment for our future leaders — our future pastors, teachers, our builders of our nation,” the CPFSA head said.

She appealed to children and youth to report any form of abuse.

“Talk to a trusted adult, or if it’s happening to someone you know, you need to talk to someone you can trust,” she advised, adding that the Church can play a role by informing its congregants about child abuse, which can be done through its Sabbath School and youth group gatherings.

Dr Lorraine Vernal, the SDA’s women, children and adolescents ministries director, agreed, saying that the church has, over the years, been educating members about their responsibility to children.

“We have a zero-tolerance approach for any type of child abuse. This issue of child abuse is not for the church to privately deal with because we are guided by the Child Care and Protection Act. We inform members that any act of abuse of our children must be reported to the relevant authorities, including the police,” Dr Vernal said.

“I call on all persons — including parents, teachers, and caregivers — who believe that the abuse of our children is their right and privilege, to desist from such belief and behaviour as many are marred for life. I implore you instead to seek professional help through counselling and therapy,” she said.

The SDA’s Youth Ministries Director Pastor Dane Fletcher said it was relevant to have the CPFSA reinforce the priority that must be placed on preserving the innocence of youth and protecting them from abusers.

“The church is not a perfect place. Should there be child abusers in our company masquerading themselves as caring youth leaders, we wanted to sound the alarm that the Adventist Church has a zero-tolerance approach towards child abuse and violence towards youth,” Fletcher said.

“We hope that the presentation by Mrs Adams-Thomas will stem the tide of abuse — irrespective of how mild that abuse might be,” Fletcher added.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica has more than 340,000 members worshipping in more than 730 congregations. The event was a Youth Conference and Expo organised by the Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in partnership with Inter-American Division Publishing Association Bookstores and Deli, under the theme ‘Revived and Renewed’.