Carolyn Gomes, medical doctor and executive director of Jamaicans For Justice. - file

This week, Flair turns the spotlight on Dr Jennifer Carolyn Gomes, an ardent advocate for human rights who will next month receive the Order of Merit for her contribution in that field.

For Dr Gomes, the news of the award came as a shock. She was in her office one day when the phone rang. The person at the other end of the line informed her that she was to be awarded at the National Honours and Awards ceremony. "I did not believe it, I even asked the person who gave me the news if he was sure. I was in a state of disbelief."

Overjoyed

Despite her initial reaction, she is now overjoyed that she will be awarded. "It is a special privilege to be honoured and recognised by one's own country and I am especially happy."

She adds that it is a significant honour because it is rare that human rights advocacy and supporters of human rights get such recognition. She notes that some individuals are resistant to the work that human rights advocates do. "But I am hoping that this will legitimise the work so the wider society can recognise it."

Dr Gomes had been in private practice as a paediatrician since 1989 but gave that up to become the executive director of the activist organisation Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ) in 2002. She is very passionate about her job. For her, the most rewarding aspect comes through meeting new and interesting people from diverse cultures and backgrounds on a regular basis.

Travelling

Her job also comes with her having to travel to all sections of the island, even to places where people might be afraid to venture. But Dr Gomes is not scared of going anywhere in her country because, as far as she is concerned, all the people she has met are decent, law-abiding people. Her job also gives her the luxury of travelling abroad. She has a hectic work schedule but her family, she says, is very supportive.

As it relates to the future, she cannot say when her tenure at JFJ will come to an end, but she knows that she will work there for as long as she can. She told Flair that JFJ has given her many skills and experience to last a lifetime. She adds that she hopes for the day when we will come to the realisation that we are all equal and need equal opportunities to realise our full potential.