Claudine Housen, Staff Reporter

Clarke - file

WESTERN BUREAU:

Children's Advocate, Mary Clarke, says that while stricter laws to protect the country's youth are welcome, greater emphasis needs to be placed on the enforcement of existing ones.

"Where we have a problem is with the enforcement of the act," she said. "You can put much more teeth (in it) but until the act is properly enforced how will the teeth bite? What we need to do first and foremost is to enforce what now exists," she stressed.

Mrs. Clarke was reacting to news that 18 children perished in fires across Jamaica during 2006. The number includes three infants, who, being left alone, perished in separate incidents in which fires razes their homes between Sunday and Monday.

A responsibility to report

Citing that parents and guardians also have a responsibility to report the abuse and neglect of children, Mrs. Clarke commended the residents in Westmoreland where two children perished on Sunday, for their vigilance in their pursuit of justice.

"We implore parents and caregivers to be extra vigilant in 2007 to ensure that all children will be safe secure, protected," she continued. "Children should never be left at home unsupervised at any time. I am calling on communities throughout Jamaica to offer more support, especially to single parents."

And commenting on what she believes is a laid-back approach to the sexual abuse of children, Mrs. Clarke offered her support to a children's registry and a sex offenders' registry.

"I would like us to (look) very carefully on community/citizen attitude to carnal and sexual abuse," she said. "The general attitude is that it is just a little sex, what is the big thing - she was giving him some of it, what is the big thing? I am concerned about the attitude and this is what I would love to change - attitudes and behaviour. This is where I think we need to focus for 2007.