Your news in a nutshell
- Wheatley stripped of energy – PM takes charge of portfolio
- Unfair detentions under SOE
- More cops leaving the force
- Chilling childcare facility report
- Thousands of J’can children engaged in child labour – Survey
- Education Ministry dismisses fraud, nepotism allegations against Nutrition Products Ltd
1. Wheatley stripped of energy – PM takes charge of portfolio
In a press release late last night from the Office of the Prime Minister, Cabinet outlined several decisions regarding the ongoing saga at Petrojam. Key among them is that the energy portfolio will be taken from Dr Andrew Wheatley and placed in the Office of the Prime Minister. Wheatley will retain oversight of science and technology. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
2. Unfair detentions under SOE
More than 2,500 people have been rounded up and taken into custody in St James in the six months since the parish was blanketed by a state of public emergency, but only about five per cent of those detainees were charged -mainly with minor criminal offences – official statistics obtained by The Gleaner have revealed. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
3. More cops leaving the force
The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) continued to lose more members than it attracted last year, even as the Government pumped more resources into curbing Jamaica’s spiralling crime problem. According to the latest Economic and Social Survey, in a year that saw the enactment of the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO) Act, the acquisition of 96 more service vehicles, and the establishment and repairs to 27 police post, 497 cops left the already-short-handed JCF. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
4. Chilling childcare facility report
Human-rights group Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ) has revealed chilling details of five documented cases of critical incidents that have occurred in residential childcare facilities in the past five years. In an effort to address the improvements needed for children in state care, JFJ forged a partnership with UNICEF. As part of the initiative, JFJ is undertaking a comprehensive study to examine the state-care landscape in Jamaica, including quality of care for wards of the State. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
5. Thousands of Jamaican children engaged in child labour
An estimated 38,000 Jamaican youth between the ages of five and 17 years old are involved in child labour, and 26,000 work in hazardous conditions, as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO). These are some of the findings contained in the Jamaica National Youth Activity Survey conducted by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) and the ILO, which identified 53,274 children overall engaged in economic activities. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
6. Education Ministry dismisses fraud, nepotism allegations against Nutrition Products Ltd
The Ministry of Education says allegations of fraud and nepotism at Nutrition Products Limited (NPL) are baseless. The company is charged with the production and distribution of nutrition products to selected schools island-wide. The claims were made by opposition senator Lambert Brown in the Senate on Friday. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
