As part of its ongoing drive to prevent abuse and promote child protection, a team from the Child Development Agency (CDA) conducted a sensitisation walk-through in two more St Thomas communities.

After walking through Yallahs two weeks ago, this time the CDA team went to Bamboo River and Church Corner in Morant Bay. CDA officers were joined on the walk by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

CDA's Regional Director for South East, Robert Williams, explained that the agency specifically targeted those communities, because they were considered hotspots for issues affecting children.

"We are extremely grateful for the support from the team of police officers, which allowed us to function more effectively. I am also very pleased with the effort of the CDA officers who were on the ground carrying out their duties," he said.

In the communities, CDA officers collected information regarding various cases for further investigation. The officers also visited a number of schools, including the Bamboo River Basic and Morant Bay Primary schools, and made presentations to students about child abuse and school safety.

Deputy Superintendent Bereford Williams of the Yallahs police, said that the JCF will continue to partner with the CDA on this and other initiatives to assist in creating safer communities in the parish.

"This is indeed a good move embarked on by the CDA, because the communities of St Thomas need this kind of intervention; so we hope that this will be ongoing," he said.