Although the legal age of consent in Jamaica is 16 for females and 14 for males, the act of having sex prior to such a legal age is a common practice.

Some time ago, two public officials advanced somewhat conflicting positions on the question of the age of consent for sex in Jamaica. Major Richard Reese, the commissioner of corrections, suggested to a Joint Select Committee of Parliament that the age of consent should be raised from 16 to 18. In contrast, Mary Clarke, the children's advocate, argued that an increase in the age of consent would be unacceptable.

For the past months, the sexual abuse of children has become a very prominent issue in Jamaica, with many individuals proposing various measures to protect and assist victims. One major problem in assessing such measures is that the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) does not really know how common child molestation is until a case is reported to the police.

The issue of frequency is important for policymakers to put strict measures in place in order to deter would-be offenders.

In this view, authorities should take a much more proactive stance in seeking out abuse cases, and the law should be amended to make the courtroom experience less traumatic for victims. The right of cross-examination might be limited in such cases, and standards of proof might be relaxed to the disadvantage of the accused.

Too often perpetrators walk away from serious cases like carnal abuses, and there ought to be no double standards in the sentencing of the accused.

I am, etc:

Charlie Brown

charliebrown1004@hotmail.com