Child Prostitution Widespread in Jamaica
August 2, 2002 ·
An ILO study on the worst forms of child labour in Jamaica has unearthed a disturbing practice of widespread prostitution by children, some as young as 10 years old, in six of the island’s 14 parishes. While the study did not state definitively how many children were involved in prostitution, the researchers said they consulted 269 persons, 129 of whom were children. The remainders, 140, were adult stakeholders. Of the children categorized as being involved in formal prostitution, the majority were girls, but boys, primarily in homosexual relationships, were also identified. The researchers recommended that the government strengthen a 1999 child care and protection bill to classify as a criminal offence, the use of children in prostitution. They also suggested the formation of national machinery to work in collaboration with a child labour elimination programme. (Jamaica Observer)
