ST JAMES, Jamaica – Dr Horace Chang has revealed that the Ministry of National Security will be partnering with the Ministry of Health and Wellness in a social intervention initiative aimed at addressing the number of domestic violence and suicide cases, which have occurred since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“We need to put all the statistics together and we are collaborating with the Ministry of Health on that to look at what we have and what is happening there,” stated Dr Chang.

“The tension in the schools, all of that seems to have come out after nearly three years of relative lack of socialisation in the community. It is something that we are aware of. If you notice, when the new compensation packages were put out, the Minister of Finance (Dr Nigel Clarke) indicated that among the professionals who will benefit significantly were social workers and psychologists because we do need professionals to begin to deal with the issues or hear the issues. It started before COVID but I think COVID just kind of highlighted it,” Dr Chang added.

The minister, who was speaking with the media following the tour of several ongoing projects in St James, recently said vulnerable communities will benefit from this initiative.

“We have to approach this in a holistic way to provide the kids with the required support and the teachers with the required support offered by the families in the communities. We have to ensure that institutions serving vulnerable communities have a capacity to provide a source of support at some level,” he said.

“We take strong enforcement measures which are to isolate hardcore criminals and killers so that the source works activities can proceed and benefit the community. Sometimes the two will come together because the more of the hardcore criminals we isolate, then we can divert the youngsters by the various programmes,” the minister added.

Among the projects toured by the minister, are the Sangster International Airport runway expansion project, the Montego Bay Perimeter Road (bypass), construction work on the Western Children and Adolescent Hospital and renovation work on the Cornwall Regional Hospital.

Dr Chang, who is also the member of parliament for St James North West, was joined briefly on the tour by Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, Tourism Minister and member of parliament for St James East Central, Edmund Bartlett, and Minister of State in the office of the Prime Minister (West) and MP for St James Southern, Homer Davis.