KINGSTON, Jamaica – Noting that it is deeply troubled by recent videos of altercations between civilians and members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and what it says is the excessive use of violence meted out to residents, human rights advocacy group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) has called for the soldiers in question to be removed from frontline duty pending the investigation into the incidents.

“At this time, it would also be appropriate if the JDF, which is also conducting its own investigations, clarifies the status of the officers in question. We contend that the officers involved must be removed from frontline duty pending the outcome of the investigation. We also are calling for the full report, once complete, to be made public in the interest of transparency,” JFJ said Friday in a news release.

Two videos emerged online this week showing soldiers beating residents in Denham Town during altercations. In one video, a soldier is observed beating a man with his rifle while the other video shows a soldier kicking a woman who is said to be pregnant.

READ: JDF launches probe after video shows soldiers beating civilians with gun

“Regardless of the situation, there are rules of engagement that agents of the state are required to abide by when dealing with citizens,” JFJ said, adding that the organisation further notes that the abusive response of the soldiers counters the very message of the state in reducing violence against women.

“How could a soldier, who is trained for conflict and armed with a rifle, deem it appropriate to shove an unarmed woman, kick another who appears to be pregnant, point a gun in her face or attempt to use his gun to hit her? That display is unfortunate and is suggestive of a wider societal issue of gender-based violence, even among those who are expected to uphold the law,” the JFJ said.

It argued that while members of the security forces must be able to defend themselves if their lives are threatened, proportionality must always be considered and efforts made by the state agents to de-escalate tense situations.

“We are also disturbed that there are members of the public who believe the response of the soldiers were warranted. There clearly needs to be social norms change, as part of a violence-reduction campaign being championed by stakeholders including government and academia, as well as a re-thinking of how some members of the public view the marginalized poor and those from low income communities,” the JFJ said.

Meanwhile, the human rights group has called for a re-assessment of crime-fighting strategies, arguing that the incident calls into question “the disturbing manner” in which security forces are deployed for an extended time within poor communities as part of government’s thrust to fight crime.

“With INDECOM 2020-21 statistics showing a rise in incidents of excessive force involving the JDF, we remain concerned about the effects of enhanced security measures. While we understand the complex nature of our crime problem and the difficulties faced in stemming said problem, we urge the government and the security forces to comprehensively review how the crime-fighting strategies can have less damaging effects on entire communities,” the JFJ said.

JFJ also called on law makers to examine the issue of the trust deficit that exists between civilians and members of the security forces.

“The videos display the inevitable consequences of deploying soldiers into poor and marginalised communities for such an extended time. It must be noted that residents within the communities have faced a history of abuse by security forces, and the altercation is an unfortunate outcome of same,” said the human rights group.

JFJ said it joins the calls for a swift and thorough investigation of the incidents and allegations of abuse, and welcomes the news that INDECOM has already commenced its investigation into the matter.

The organisation said it urges the government to ensure that security forces continue to be routinely trained in human rights, gender-based violence and broader concepts of civilian engagement. Public education is also important so that citizens understand how to act when engaging with members of the security forces, where their voices are heard without abuse towards those intended to serve and protect, the JFJ said.