The Office of The Children's Advocate (OCA) welcomes the announcement for the law to be amended for stiffer penalties for persons who kill pregnant girls. The announcement came on Tuesday during Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller's Budget Debate presentation.

Children's Advocate Diahann Gordon Harrison noted that this announcement in the House of Representatives was timely, particularly as, from November 2014 the OCA had previously made submissions concerning this very issue to the Joint Select Committee of Parliament which was established to review of legislation, including the Offences Against the Person Act.

"While the OCA's submission on this point encompassed the murder of any pregnant female, we wholeheartedly welcome this announcement by the most honourable prime minister to the people of Jamaica, as this indicates that, as a nation, we cannot sit by and allow the abuse and killing of our girls to go unabated. Of importance, too, is the indication from the Opposition Leader, Mr. Andrew Holness, that the safety of our children has to be seen as a priority. It is time, as a nation, that we come to grips with the reality that the manner in which we are treating our girls, particularly as it relates to sexual abuse, is unacceptable, and the killing of them speaks to the level of depravity some of us within society have come to accept as being an appropriate action."

punishment

"As the office indicated to the joint Committee, last October, during my submission, life begins in-utero and there is enough scientific and practical evidence to prove that. Consequently, those who wilfully kill a pregnant person, resulting in the death of the foetus, ought to be punished in a commensurate manner, as this would qualify as an aggravated circumstance, if my submissions are accepted," Gordon Harrison added.

The Office of The Children's Advocate urges members of the public to file a report if they know, or even suspect, that a child is exposed to inappropriate situations. To file a report, call 1-888-PROTECT (1-888-776-8328).