Jamaican Justice Official Calls for Community Action Against Child Abuse Silence

‘Our grief must become action’

WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaicans are being challenged to break the culture of silence surrounding the abuse of children, with Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, minister of state in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, declaring that communities often see the warning signs long before the police do. Dalrymple-Philibert’s impassioned appeal came as 10-year-old Shani Coke, who was raped and murdered in her community of Troy, Trelawny, was being laid to rest.

By Janet Silvera/Gleaner Writer