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FACT SHEET
VIOLENCE[1] AGAINST CHILDREN IN THE CARIBBEAN
GENERAL DATA
· The region is one of the most violent in the world, with much the violence being related to the proliferation of drugs and fire arms, and organized crime. Violence is the leading cause of death among males aged 15-24. Involvement in drug trade and petty crime, access to small arms as well as poverty are important risk factors contributing to violence, while protective factors include positive relationships at school, access to livelihoods, and close connections to family and/or community organizations[2].
· Violence disproportionately affects children and adolescents, either directly or indirectly. Violence by young people is extremely visible, and most of the perpetrators, as well as most of the victims of violent crime are male adolescents or youth[3].
· Most countries have adopted appropriate laws against child abuse, but enforcement is inadequate often due to cultural norms that accept physical abuse.
· Sexual and physical abuse is high in the Caribbean and socially accepted in many countries of the region. Corporal punishment continues to be widespread in schools and homes, particularly among boys[4].
· Gender is a central risk factor in Caribbean societies. Gender inequities and norms related to sexuality compound adolescent health problems. Adolescent pregnancy, the effects of risky sexual behaviors, and physical and sexual abuse disproportionately affect girls. School drop out, crime, violence and alcohol abuse affect boys disproportionately more than girls.
VIOLENCE IN THE HOME AND FAMILY
· Available data on the extent of child abuse and neglect indicates that the problem is very serious in the Caribbean region, and large numbers of children are believed to be affected. Surveys of adults and experiences of abuse and neglect reported by children generally reveal that the prevalence of violence against children is higher than official figures indicate, suggesting that there is significant underreporting. This is likely to be the case across all countries of the Caribbean.
· The use of corporal punishment as a form of discipline is common in the Caribbean region with children from very early ages being the victims. Surveys among children even indicate that the majority of them believe that physical punishment is valid and necessary[5].
· Reports from Jamaica and Guyana show that child abuse and neglect occurs across all socio-economic groups and family structures[6].
· Sexual abuse: In the vast majority of reported cases of sexual abuse, the victims are girls. According to data from 15 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, up to 69% of all women have been physically abused by a partner, with up to 47% of women reporting that they have been victims of sexual assault[7]. In Barbados, 30% of women participating in a study reported that they had experienced sexual abuse during their childhood[8].
· A study of the Pan-American Health Organization covering nine Caribbean countries shows that of the one third of adolescents who had sexual intercourse, almost half reported that their first sexual experience had been forced. The proportion was high for both girls and boys: 48 percent and 32 percent, respectively[9].
· In general, there are few reported cases of boys being the victims of sexual abuse. But this may be due to the fact that sexual abuse of boys is less likely to be reported than sexual abuse of girls. In the Pan-American Health Organization study[10] among young people in school (10-18 years) there was only a marginal difference in the percentage of boys and girls who reported sexual abuse (9.1% versus 10.5%). A serious concern relating to sexual abuse against boys is that in some countries sexual abuse is not recognized by law if the victim is male.
· Consequences of child abuse and neglect include dropping out of school, being put into institutional care, living on the street and sexual exploitation and involvement in violence in adolescence.
· Domestic violence is highly prevalent in the Caribbean region. In Jamaica, nearly one quarter of all murders in the past 3 years were a result of domestic violence. According to studies[11], 50% of men reported having hit their partner and 30% of adolescents worry about the fighting and violence they witness at home. In the British Virgin Islands and Barbados, 30% of women reported having been physically abused[12]. In Dominica, only 14% of women who had been victims of domestic violence reported it to the police. There are some reports of police being unwilling to intervene as they consider this as private affairs.
2. VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS
· Similar to the high levels of violence in homes and in communities, some territories report high levels of violence in schools. A disquieting number of students in Caribbean schools have witnessed a physically violent act at some point in their lives. In Jamaica one study revealed that 78.5% of the students had witnessed violence in their communities, 60.8% in their schools, and 44.7% in their homes. Twenty-nine per cent of the students had caused injury to persons[13].
· The incidence of homicides, sexual and physical assault in schools has risen sharply over the past decade, raising awareness among most Caribbean governments and their citizens. In Jamaica, a quarter of those arrested for major crimes were youths of school age, with the great majority being male[14].
3. VIOLENCE IN THE COMMUNITY
· Homicide rates in the Caribbean are nearly twice as high as the world average (22.9 per 100,000 compared to 10.7 per 100,000)[15], reflecting the high prevalence of crime and violence at community level. The involvement of young people in crime and violence is a significant problem in the Caribbean.
· Violence and the fear to become a victim are thus permanent features of the lives of many Caribbean children. The reports indicate that children are exposed to very high levels of violence in their community. 47% of children in Guyana knew someone who had been killed, 60% of 9-17 year old children in Jamaica reported that a family member had been a victim of violence, and 37% had a family member who had been killed[16]. One third of school-going adolescents in the Pan-American Health Organization study from nine Caribbean Community countries [17] were concerned about violence in their community and wished to move elsewhere. In studies from Jamaica, only 28% of children thought their home neighborhood was very safe and 33% were afraid of someone in their community or yard[18], while in Belize, 40% of children felt unsafe on the streets[19].
· In Jamaica with its one million children, brutal violence against children increased, with 119 children being killed in 2004 alone, representing 8% of all homicides. Of those killed, 86% were boys. According to police reports[20], 430 children were shot and injured.
· In countries such as Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, there are a growing number of children who are involved in commercial sexual activities, especially in tourist areas. In these settings, the children are not only sexually exploited, but often exposed as well to other forms of verbal and physical abuse, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
· Self-inflicted violence is also of concern, with 12.5% of adolescents participating in the Pan-American Health Organization study admitting to have attempted suicide.
· Gang violence is also high in the Caribbean, with 20 percent of male students and 12 percent of female students at one point having belonged to a gang[21].
4. VIOLENCE IN INSTITUTIONS
· All of the countries have children’s homes, which may be run by the government, churches or private groups. An investigation into such homes in Jamaica describes the children living there as dangerous[22]. Recommendations included a review of the standards of places of safety, implementation of a care plan for each child, staff reviewing including job analysis and evaluations, and the establishment of social worker posts in each institution.
· A major concern in terms of policy and practice in the Caribbean is that the response to youth crime is often punitive rather than rehabilitative. Holding youth trials in adult criminal courts, putting children in adult correctional services and the long time period between arrest and sentencing are some of the reported problems in the current systems. The placing of children in adult jails often leads to children witnessing more violence and becoming the victims of violence in terms of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
5. VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE
· It is estimated that in Latin America and the Caribbean around 5.7 million children between 5 and 14 years are working[23].
· Violence in the workplace not only refers to children involved in the worst forms of child labour, but also includes children whose general working conditions put them at risk of becoming victims of abuse, maltreatment , exploitation and neglect. More and more children are leaving school and entering the formal and informal labour market due to the economic situation in some of these countries.
· According to country reports and assessments, the areas that put children mostly at risk are those related to the worst forms of child labour, particularly domestic work and drug trade.
· In Haiti, the number of restavèks, the name given to children in domestic services, ranges from 90,000 to 120,000, of which 75% are girls between 7 and 15 years of age. They are at risk of rape, harsh treatment, malnutrition and neglect[24]. It is estimated that domestic labour is the largest employment category of girls under the age of 16 in the world[25].
· In contrast to the other forms of child labour, domestic work is not only one of the least regulated and worst paid but also one of the occupations with the least social and cultural value.
· There is also a growing number of ‘street children’ who live and work on the streets in countries such as Haiti and Jamaica. These children are the most vulnerable and are exposed to violence on a daily basis.
1
[1] Violence: “The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation.” World Report on Violence and Health. World Health Organisation (WHO). “States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child.” Article 19, Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
[2] Situation Analysis and Recommendations on adolescent development, health, and participation. UNICEF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean. 2005
[3] The nature of interpersonal violence in Jamaica and its strain on the national health services. West Indian Medical Journal, Mansingh, A. & Ramphal P. 1993
[4] Caribbean Youth Development: Issues and Policy Directions. The World Bank, Washington D.C. 2003
[5] Caribbean Youth Development: Issues and Policy Directions. The World Bank, Washington D.C. 2003
[6] Jamaican children and their families. A situation assessment and analysis. UNICEF, Jamaica. And Cabral C, Speek-Warnery V (2004) and Voices of children: Experience with violence. Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, Red Thread Women’s Development Programme, UNICEF-Guyana, Georgetown, Guyana. 2004
[7] Address Gender Based Violence in Latin America and Ther Caribbean: A Critical Review of interventions. Andrew Morrinson, Mary Ellsberg and Sarah Bott. The World Bank. En Breve, January 2005. N. 60.
[8] Violencia Crimen y Desarrollo Social en América Latina y el Caribe: M Buvinic, A. Morrison y MB Orlando. Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. 1999
[9] Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) health data (1997-1999). A cross-sectional data set from nine Caribbean Community countries -Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia.' - which includes information on youth behaviors and their causes. Sourced from Caribbean Youth Development: Issues and Policy Directions. The World Bank, Washington D.C. 2003
[10] Caribbean Youth Development: Issues and Policy Directions. The World Bank, Washington D.C. 2003.
[11] Brown J, Anderson P, Chevannes B (1993) The contribution of the Caribbean men to the family.
[12] Barrow, C. (2001) Situational Analysis of Children and Women in Twelve Caribbean Countries: Protection: Children ‘at risk’ and in need of special protection.
[13] Domestic and School Violence Among High School Students in Jamaica. West Indian Medical Journal, 2000, 49(3): 232-236. Soyibo, K. & Lee, M. G. 2000
[14] Preliminary Study on Violence in Caribbean Schools. Chevannes, P. 2004
[15] World Bank (2003). Caribbean Youth Development: Issues and Policy Directions. The World Bank, Washington D.C. Available: http://wbln0018.worldbank.org
[16] Meeks-Gardner J, Powell C, Thomas J, Millard D Perceptions and experiences of violence among secondary school students in urban Jamaica. Pan American Journal of Public Health 14(2): 97-103. 2003
[17] Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) health data (1997-1999). A cross-sectional data set from nine Caribbean Community countries -Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia.' - which includes information on youth behaviors and their causes. Sourced from Caribbean Youth Development: Issues and Policy Directions. The World Bank, Washington D.C. 2003
[18] Situational Analysis of Children and Women in Twelve Caribbean Countries: Protection: Children ‘at risk’ and in need of special protection. Barrow, C. 2001
[19] Impact of crime and violence on children and adolescents. Community Rehabilitation Department, Ministry of Human Development / UNICEF, Belize. Rosberg M 2005
[20] Caribbean Youth Development: Issues and Policy Directions. The World Bank, Washington D.C. 2003
[21] Caribbean Youth Development Issues and Policy Directions. A Worid Bank Country Study.The Word Bank Washington DC. May 2003
[22] Keating, S. Milbourn, P. Neale-Irving, R. & Webber, M. (2003). Review of children's homes and places of safety in Jamaica. Ministry of Health Available:http://www.moh.gov
[23] La eliminación de trabajo infantil: Un objetivo a nuestro alcance, OIT, 2006.
[24] Merveille, H. (Haiti: Violence - a bad legacy bequeathed to kids: 2002. Available on http://www.panosinst.org/productions/haitibriefings/h-07-e.php
[25] UNICEF, Innocenti Digest 5 – Child Domestic Work, May 1999