THE INDEPENDENT Jamaican Council for Human Rights, Amnesty International Jamaica group, and the Roman Catholic Church said yesterday they were united in their efforts towards the abolition of the death penalty in the island.

Their joint statement came as the region celebrates World Day Against the Death Penalty today.

On September 25, the Prime Minister of Italy, Professor Romano Prodi, spoke to the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly on the resolution before the Assembly for a universal moratorium on the death penalty.

"I trust that we shall all be united in this battle, which is supported by Nobel Laureates, statesmen and women, and free men and women from throughout the world," Professor Prodi said.

He added that the "growing trend in international law and the national practice toward a phasing out of the death penalty" would be officially sanctioned by U.N. General Assembly's adoption of a draft resolution to be deposited together with many countries from every regional group and from the European Union.

In yesterday's joint statement, the local groups said: "We urge the Government of Jamaica to vote in favour of this resolution as a contribution to the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights in Jamaica and throughout the world."

The statement added: "Our society is rife with violence, often generating feelings of fear and we strive for any form of 'self-defense' against the violence. If we are to work together towards building a better society, we need to cultivate a climate of peace and forgiveness. It will not happen through killings or executions."

The statement continued: "In a state of fear, we can hang everyone on death row, but the problem will still be there - violence only begets violence. We have to decide to develop a rational, intelligent solution and we must have the political will to face the roots of violence in order to solve the problems of crime in Jamaica."