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A multifaceted new programme to protect
Jamaica’s children, the Missing Children’s
Support Programme, has been established by the
Hear the Children’s Cry Committee. The start of
the programme was made possible through a
one-year sponsorship agreement with Global
Directories Limited, publishers of Jamaica
Yellow Pages. Formally launched on Wednesday
morning April 29 – the eve of Child Month – the
Programme has been underway since March of this
year, with its team working closely with the
Police, the Government, the media and other
stakeholders. Main components are research and
consistent documentation of the status of
missing children, dissemination of this
information to keep the Jamaican public abreast
of the situation and to help promote the rescue
and return of abducted children, and counselling
for the families affected by this serious
national crisis.
The launch ceremony took place at the
Swallowfield Primary and Junior High School at
11 Whitehall Avenue, the school attended by the
late Ananda Dean, the 11 year old girl abducted
and murdered in 2008, in whose memory the
proposed Ananda Alert is named. (The Ananda
Alert is a system designed to help locate
kidnapped children on an immediate, high
priority basis.) Outlining the objectives and
work of the Missing Children’s Support Programme,
Hear the Children’s Cry Convener Betty Ann
Blaine noted that while her team was small, they
would be collaborating with counselors and other
professionals islandwide, to maximize the
positive effects of the Programme, and to avoid
overlap – not only to save lives on an immediate
basis, but to provide a safe and nurturing
environment for Jamaica’s children on an ongoing
basis. Endorsement of the Programme came from
Senator Warren Newby, Parliamentary Secretary in
the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture, who
presented the keynote address, and from Deputy
Superintendent of Police Sonia James Thompson of
the Constabulary Communication Network.
Representing Global Directories, David
Roberts lauded the Programme and commended Hear
the Children’s Cry for the work it was doing to
promote the wellbeing of the nation’s children.
He noted: “We recognize that our children are
the future and if we destroy our children, we
are in essence putting the future of this
country at risk. We, therefore, laud this and
any initiatives that seek to improve and protect
the lives of our children and preserve our
country’s future.”
Greetings were presented by Al Solan,
Principal of the Swallowfield Primary and Junior
High School. Master of Ceremonies was Gillian
Rowlands of Hear the Children’s Cry.
Swallowfield students entertained guests with
cultural items. The Hear the Children’s Cry
Committee is Jamaica's most vocal lobby group,
focusing on the atrocities, abuses, neglect and
traumatization of Jamaican children, and the
denial of their God given rights. Established in
November 2002, it is an umbrella group of
organizations providing services for children
and young people, led by its Convener,
children’s advocate Betty Ann Blaine. Membership
is also open to any citizen of Jamaica who
shares similar concerns and interests. Hear the
Children’s Cry works on its own and as an active
member of the National Task Force on Child
Protection, on a number of innovative and
practical moves to protect children. Global
Directories is a regional company, which
publishes directories on behalf of
telecommunications companies. It currently
publishes 14 telephone directories across the
region. Concerned about the high levels of crime
and violence affecting the country, Jamaica
Yellow Pages in 2006 supported the Peace and
Love in Society (PALS) Programme with a
three-year multi-million dollar sponsorship for
PALS’ islandwide initiatives.
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- 2009