A very eye opening article on how children are molested and abused in Jamaica.
A Must Read !

http://jablogz.com/2014/01/the-viciousness-of-child-molestation-in-jamaica/

It is a huge problem there and is one of the reasons we couldn't take the risk anymore with our young girls when we traveled there. Sadly, the Jamaica gov't doesn't seem to care.

Good article!

The fact that it is getting worse then better is a really really disturbing.

I wish there was a way to do something radical, like an island wide tourist strike, until they start prosecuting rapists.

Most of the mothers of these children are rape victims themselves - therefore they lack the ability to protect their own daughters. (and sons! because we know that happens but it is never spoken about) Its hard to understand this concept but it is one of the disabling consequences of rape.

This is a major violation of human rights.

I have very mixed feeling about returning to Ja - I love her too much to abandon her but when I think of some of the things I have seen and turned a blind eye to it makes me want to stay far away.

I always tell people I have this Love/Hate for Jamaica…well ,this is on the top of the list of things i hate about Jam.

agree.. heartbreaking as hell. and true ,change has to come from within , but we also can not be afraid to speak out . make your opinions known for what its worth. offer help and compassion when you can. my guess is a lot of the homophobia has roots in early childhood abuse as well.

jitterbug 1/22/2014, 6:43 am
making one's opinion known can be dangerous . . . i want to go home in one piece . . .

yes, of course. I dont mean to offend or insult,but sometimes, a different opinion can get people thinking.

I remember sitting in a shop, shooting the breeze one night. The batty boy subject came up. well everyone had a strong opinion, chop 'em being the most popular. I told them,when I was single,and out at a club, I didn't mind seeing gay men out., more pum for me . Of course, that is making lite of a serious issue, but the point is, It is ok to be tolerant of people with different opinions and lifestyles.

Why would they change ? It's a country that admires men that have wives and girlfriends at the same time , has the highest rate of aids/hiv in the western hemisphere (yet everyone is clean ) ,have kids everywhere , many thinking that Haille Selassie is a leader of some sort ( he didn't understand it either ) ,have a poor economy but when there are pretty good wages still don't come to work and the beach boys that screw for a living ,live in a card board box and still attract educated tourists.
It's not hard to see why there is no change . When you see 12 year old boys grabbing themselves in front of 40 year old women saying they need the big bamboo , and dancing that makes sex look pale ??? you can't figure that out ????!!!!! Oh yes ,there IS !!!! a very strong gay community in Negril ,it's just not that open.

It is a shame it happens anywhere and seemingly is everywhere not just Jamaica
http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/registry
Check your state and your local area and you might be surprised

Random thoughts on things mentioned as I prepare for trip #50 to Negril... years ago, when visiting a friend at his apt. in Red Ground, a young child ~5 y.o. standing in the middle of the street, started flirting & coming on to me. Really??? This was at least 15 years ago. "Hey baby, you want me?, etc." I didn't find it amusing. Sad, not amusing.

Last summer a man who claimed to be a 40 year visitor to Negril mentioned to me that child molestation was a new trend in JA. Again, really??? I told him it had been happening as long as I've been visiting the island, then 27 years.

I've read over the years about young girls who were prostituted by their mothers for lodging, school fees, food, etc.... at Hedo & anywhere else on the island. "Dancehall Queen" is an old movie &, in part, addresses this issue. Taxi drivers having sex w/ young school girls, mother's boyfriend, "uncle", you name it. NOT new, needs to change.

Yes, sexual abuse of young girls happens in many places, happens too frequently. I remember a student one year who wrote a letter to me at the beginning of the school year (an assignment when I had new 7th graders). She had been sexually abused & told me about it; by then her abuser had been tried & was imprisoned. I wondered how many others there were. She was so brave to share that w/ me. I've had many several close friends through the years who have shared their childhood abuse stories w/ me. Makes me glad I made it through my childhood w/out that aspect. I still think it's, sadly, more common than not in Jamaica.

This is a terrible blight on the world, no way is it unique to Jamaica. Maybe tolerated in a different way that is "acceptable" to us, but it is everywhere.

Here in the UK, it has become a Witch Hunt. Many celebs are being imprisoned for offences that took place as long as 40 or 50 years ago. The world was a different place then. The word Peadophile did not exist. Offenders were referred to as "dirty old men" and everything was brushed under the carpet, not to be spoken of. Now you cant escape it, it is that rampant and I think the internet has a lot to answer for.

I dont think you can call out Jamaica for her lyrics and dancing.....Miley Cyrus?? I got a few names for her!!! I caught my 12 yo twerking, she was really good at it too, I was gobsmacked, not something I want to witness my child doing and apparantly it is a common classroom activity. I didnt make a big thing about it bc then she would think it v cool. So slowly Im drilling it in to her that its not very classy and she is coming round to my way of thinking.

Child Abuse will always exist because sadly there will always be perverts, but hopefully attitudes and acceptance will change.

God bless those who have been robbed of their innocence and security and Miley put your tongue back in your mouth child!