MANCHESTER, Jamaica — The Manchester Beliefs, Values, and Attitudes Secretariat is registering its voice against the repeated instances of abuse and murder of the nation’s children.

In a press release on Monday, the Manchester BVA said it is greatly concerned about the heinous acts committed against children.

“… We affirm our commitment to actively engage in efforts to mitigate against such atrocities. We extend our commiseration and pledge our support for the victims and the families affected by these misfortunes,” the release read in part.

“It is our firm belief that protecting and caring for our children is not only an individual responsibility but a collective obligation that requires the unwavering commitment of all. This gives rise for us to focus heavily on the education, safety, well-being, and happiness of children, which are at the core of our values – to foster attitudinal change and social revitalisation in society,” the release added.

The Manchester BVA said the matter of ensuring the safety and well-being of children needs to be addressed urgently.

“… We are resolute in our actions to propagate the efforts required to protect our most innocent and vulnerable. To this end, the Manchester Beliefs, Values, and Attitudes Secretariat is making the clarion call for individual and collective efforts by parents, schools, the church, police, civil society, and society leaders, to foster a culture of compassion, empathy, care, protection and vigilance to ensure the safety and security of our children. We also call on our government and legislators to ensure adequate laws and enforcement are in place so that those who harm our children are punished by law, and the penalties will serve as a deterrent for perpetrators of these crimes,” the release read in part.

Custos of Manchester Garfield Green, whose brainchild is the Manchester BVA, pointed to the recent attacks on children.

“For the benefit of our children, let us revive the principle of community parenting, let us commit “to keep an eye and an ear out” for our children, and let us make it our collective responsibility to know what is happening with our children. Each one of us has a responsibility to ensure that those who harm children or cause them to be harmed are held accountable for their actions. It is our civic obligation to report any suspected case of child abuse or neglect,” the release said.