Launch & Handover Ceremony: Communication Materials on the Domestic Violence Act and Sexual Harassment Act, for Persons with Disabilities

21 November, 2:00 pm | The Courtleigh Hotel & Suites

Salutations

• Project Manager European Union in Jamaica, Vanna Lawrence, representing Head of Delegation, Her Excellency Ambassador Marianne Van Steen 
  Executive Director, Combined Disabilities Association, Ms. Gloria Goffe  
  Executive Director, Jamaica Society for the Blind, Mr Conrad Harris, 
  Executive Director, Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities, Ms Christine Hendricks, 
  Acting Director, Policy and Research, Bureau of Gender Affairs, representing the executive director, Ms Tashana Clemmings 
  Jamaica Association for the Deaf, Director, Social Services Division, Ms Tamika Palmer-Williams 
  Research Fellow, Institute for Gender & Development Studies - Regional Coordinating Office, Dr. Natasha Kay Mortley 
  Programme Coordinator, Spotlight Initiative, Alicia Bowen-McKulskie,

Distinguished guests

Good afternoon.

The passage of landmark gender-based legislation should always be bolstered by mandatory communication of its provisions, rights, and responsibilities. This ought to be non-negotiable in our shared mission to end gender-based violence once and for all.

Jamaica’s new Sexual Harassment Act and Domestic Violence Act are clear examples of groundbreaking legislation offering hope to victims, but they must be strategically communicated as a means of shifting the status quo of victims – to empowered survivors.

Clear, unambiguous information on these legislative provisions will empower all victims to act decisively within the law.  

It is therefore our collective duty to ensure that Persons with Disabilities are afforded the same level of accessibility.

When we begin to unpack the data in Jamaica, we see that 1 in every 4 women experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime, anecdotal evidence further suggests that sexual harassment is an all too pervasive feature of our cultural interactions.

Tackling discrimination against vulnerable and underserved groups and related gaps in service, access, and accessibility must therefore remain a priority if we intend to meaningfully address family violence.

Gender-based violence and discrimination against Persons with Disabilities therefore requires sensitive and decisive interventions that must be prioritized to ensure that the community knows their rights, where to go, and what to do in securing redress.  

That is why the development of inclusive information, education, and communication (IEC) materials on the Sexual Harassment and the Domestic Violence Acts tailored exclusively for Persons with Disabilities is timely and significant.

Aligned to UNDP’s commitment to advancing inclusive development, these products were developed through the Spotlight Initiative and with persons with disabilities. The products, utilise real-life dramatic scenarios and everyday language seeking to demystify the legal provisions of the legislation with step-by-step pointers.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a step in the right direction.

To this end, UNDP commits to expanding our partnership with the Combined Disabilities Association, Jamaica Society for the Blind and the Jamaica Association for the Deaf in securing their participation in ending violence against women and girls and expanding access to their legally guaranteed rights.  

I would like to specially thank the Jamaica Society for the Blind, the Jamaica Association for the Deaf and the Institute of Gender and Development Studies for their partnership in realizing this important milestone. We also continue to be grateful to the European Union for its sponsorship and stellar leadership of the Spotlight Initiative, without which this IEC intervention would be impossible.

Let us ensure that policy, legislative and development planning frameworks consistently meet the needs of Persons with Disabilities so that truly, we leave no one behind in our development efforts.

Thank you.