A study by rights group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), seeking to tap the attitude and knowledge of Jamaicans towards domestic violence has found that while there is high awareness about the issue and the available guardrails, 40 per cent of victims take no action while significant numbers believe abuse is justified if cheating, provocation or drug use were factors.

The 2025 Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions Towards Domestic Violence in Jamaica, which was conducted in partnership with the Institute of Technological and Educational Research at The Mico University College, and supported by the Global Fund through the Ministry of Health and Wellness, drew on over 1,000 respondents across six major parishes. According to the JFJ, “notably, 78 per cent of respondents demonstrated moderate to high knowledge of domestic violence and available protections, with women showing greater awareness (83 per cent) than men (71 per cent)”.

Yet the JFJ said, “despite this knowledge, 40 per cent of those exposed to violence took no action, and harmful beliefs persist — nearly 26 per cent of respondents still justify abuse under circumstances such as cheating, provocation, or drug use”.

According to JFJ Executive Director Mickel Jackson, “The data underscores the urgency of legislative reform and sustained public education.”

“With 67 per cent of respondents having witnessed domestic violence, 25 per cent identifying as survivors, and 10 per cent as perpetrators, the scale of the crisis demands collective action. JFJ renews its call for the Government of Jamaica to reconvene the Joint Select Committee on the Domestic Violence Act to strengthen legal protections, including occupation and protection orders,” Jackson said in the study’s foreword.

“We urge all stakeholders — government agencies, community organisations, faith leaders, and citizens — to break the silence, support survivors, and challenge the cultural norms that sustain abuse,” she said further.

According to the JFJ, while over the last five years there have been significant and focused attempts to strengthen the protective environment, “the incidence of domestic violence appears to be on the increase”. The rights group went on to point out that in 2023, over 8,500 cases were reported in Jamaica. It said the overwhelming majority of 6,000 cases were reported to the 10 new domestic violence centres with approximately 2,000 reported to police stations, “signalling the need for continued focus on this pernicious issue”.

According to the data, 57 per cent of respondents had positive attitudes which meant they agreed that domestic violence was not justifiable nor acceptable across the situations presented. The ratio between positive (57 per cent), neutral (31 per cent) and negative (12 per cent) across age groups were generally consistent. However, across gender, men were more even split across positive and neutral attitudes (1:1) compared to women (2:1).

JFJ, in the meantime, said the survey revealed that 663 (67 per cent) of respondents were witnesses of domestic violence; of which 402 were female, 258 were male and three non-binary. It said 247 respondents (25 per cent) were survivors of domestic violence; of which 172 were female, and 73 were male and two non-binary. JFJ said 102 respondents (10 per cent) indicated that they were domestic violence perpetrators; of which 60 were female, 40 were male and two non-binary.

Interestingly, the survey found that “women and younger respondents (18-34 years) reported higher rates of witnessing and victimisation”. It said further said higher education correlates with more witnessing but lower perpetration adding that men (10.15 per cent) reported slightly higher perpetration rates than women (9.92 per cent).

In the meantime, nearly half of those interviewed (49.5 per cent) disagreed that the victim was at fault for staying in violent relationships, while a significant 18.76 per cent remained neutral. However, 31.74 per cent agreed that victims were at fault for staying in violent relationships, indicating mixed beliefs and uncertainty.

In relation to elderly violence, half of the respondents agreed that this was a problem but associated it with the issue of domestic violence, but a high 31 per cent remained neutral, suggesting, according to the JFJ, that “many are unsure about the issue”.

Meanwhile, the majority of Jamaicans interviewed (73.48 per cent) disagreed that men cannot be victims of domestic violence, while 8.57 per cent were neutral, and 17.95 per cent in agreement “showing that some uncertainty or misconception remains”.

Researchers further said 54 per cent of respondents “disagreed that domestic violence was justifiable in certain situations”, but found that 20.1 per cent were neutral, while 25.7 per cent agreed, “showing that a notable portion are unsure or see some justification”. They said the areas where respondents justified domestic violence included provocation (24 per cent); high stress (25 per cent); cheating (26 per cent); and in the case of drug use (25 per cent).

The JFJ said 557 respondents who had been exposed to domestic violence also possessed high knowledge scores. It however, said when confronted with situations of domestic violence, 40 per cent did nothing, despite knowing what to do. “This indicates that knowledge does not necessarily convert into self-protecting action,” the interviewers said.

In the meantime, researchers found it curious that “only 36 survivors and 10 abusers indicated that an occupation order was obtained”. They said while most respondents (44 per cent) had high trust in institutions, this was closely followed by a neutral stance (40 per cent), while 16 per cent indicated low trust in institutions.