LocationsJAD hails truly historic Jamaican Sign Language-Only videos
Communications products on Jamaica’s Sexual Harassment and Domestic Violence Acts Launched for Persons with Disabilities
November 27, 2023
From left: Mary-Angela Fatta MPH, Jamaican Sign Language (JSL) Services Officer, Jamaica Association for the Deaf; Gloria Goffe Executive Director, Combined Disabilities Association; Conrad Harris, Executive Director, Jamaica Society for the Blind; Tamika Palmer, Director, Social Services Division, Jamaica Association for the Deaf; Kimberley Wilson, UNDP Programme Analyst, Monitoring and Evaluation. Back Row: Alicia Bowen McCulskie, Spotlight Initiative Programme Coordinator;Vanna Lawrence, Programme Manager, European Union
UNDP/ Ricardo Makyn
Persons with Disabilities (PWD) now have their own specially tailored information products on Jamaica’s Sexual Harassment and Domestic Violence Acts to help them navigate their rights, protections, and responsibilities under the laws.
The information products were officially handed over on Tuesday, 21 November at the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites, to the Combined Disabilities Association CAD), the Jamaica Society for the Blind (JSB), the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD), and the Bureau of Gender Affairs.
Produced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the European Union/United Nations Jamaica Spotlight Initiative, the information products all branded “Ten Things to Know …” will be distributed and screened islandwide. They include two braille booklets and four dramatized, subtitled videos, two of which are produced exclusively in Jamaica Sign Language (JSL) – a groundbreaking move labelled as “truly historic, unique and incredibly special” by the JAD’s Mary-Angela Fatta.
Ms. Fatta lauded UNDP for heeding the guidance of the Association by strengthening the Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) products with the addition of two videos in JSL only. She expressed hope that other agencies would adopt a similarly inclusive approach.
Programme Manager European Union (EU) in Jamaica, Vanna Lawrence, representing Head of Delegation, Her Excellency, Ambassador Marianne Van Steen, said the EU recognizes that abuse can thrive in areas where persons are most defenseless and that as a result many vulnerable persons may find themselves being left behind in accessing justice.
Vanna Lawrence, European Union Project Manager addresses the Handing Over
UNDP MCO in Jamaica / Ricardo Makyn
“We therefore support efforts to bolster awareness of the rights of PWD while encouraging society to protect these rights,” she said. “It is our hope therefore that the actions of this project can influence the lives of the approximately 580 000 Jamaicans living with disabilities and further influence the level of societal support for the inclusion of all persons,” Ms. Lawrence stated.
She underscored the EU’s commitment to raising awareness on the living conditions of persons with disabilities and the challenges they encounter in everyday life while defending the human rights, fundamental freedoms, and dignity for all, including persons with disabilities.
UNDP Programmes Specialist Stacy Ann Tomlinson Knox, representing UNDP Assistant Resident Representative/ Officer-in-Charge, Ava Whyte called the development of inclusive IEC materials on the Acts timely, significant, and perfectly aligned to UNDP’s commitment to advancing inclusive development.
Noting that the information products were developed with guidance from PWD, she lauded the use of real-life dramatic scenarios and everyday language which she said is serving to demystify the legislation.
“The passage of landmark gender-based legislation should always be bolstered by mandatory communication of its provisions, rights, and responsibilities. This ought to be non-negotiable in our shared mission to end gender-based violence once and for all, Ms. Tomlinson-Knox stated.
She said: “Jamaica’s new Sexual Harassment Act and Domestic Violence Act are clear examples of groundbreaking legislation offering hope to victims, but they must be strategically communicated as a means of shifting the status quo of victims – to empowered survivors”.
The CDA, JAD and JSB represented by Executive Director Gloria Goffe; Social Servies Division Director Tamika Palmer-Williams; and Executive Director Conrad Harris respectively, expressed appreciation to the Spotlight Initiative for the IEC materials and expressed confidence that they would support PWD in accessing their rights under the laws.
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