JAMAICA has completed its first Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS), a national household survey that is providing planners, decision-makers and other stakeholders with information on the prevalence and scope of these concerns across the island.

The details of the survey will be released on November 14 in Kingston by Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). PIOJ led the 2023 Jamaica VACS, with funding from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The survey was coordinated by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of its Together for Girls Partnership. UNICEF supported the data-to-action process through a cooperative agreement with CDC. The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and The University of the West Indies, Mona, executed the survey.

The report will be officially handed over by CDC to PIOJ and the Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information.

“The completion of the VACS and the findings provide valuable insights that will assist in determining the gaps in our current systems so that we can be more responsive to the needs of victims and prevent harm from reaching our youth and children,” said director general of PIOJ Dr Wayne Henry.

UNICEF Jamaica Representative Olga Isaza said Jamaica now has data that can be used to strengthen systems and programmes to end violence against children.

“These findings confirm that Jamaica must invest more to scale the current programmes to prevent violence and address the serious impacts of physical, sexual and emotional abuse on their development and life course. UNICEF considers that the time is now for data to be converted to action, and our support for this accompanying framework has led to recommendations that are grounded in the national context and are actionable,” she added.

The survey indicated the frequency, locations (whether in the home, in an institution, or in a public area) and impacts of violence. It also investigated where young people are going for help and which institutions or persons they trust with the personal and confidential needs that exposure to violence leaves with them.

The VACS survey report shows the difference in the stages of life that violence is being experienced, and unmasks the people who are most likely to commit harm to a child and their proximity.

On the matter of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in society, the report also probed awareness of the location of HIV testing sites, whether youth are seeking to know their status, and reasons for hesitancy.

The VACS survey is a global initiative of PEPFAR to aid in understanding the scope, nature, and consequences of the intersection of HIV risk factors and violence among youth.