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Jamaica’s Children’s Advocate Mary Clarke was a teacher and then manager of the country’s Social, Gender and Development Institute before taking on her new role in 2006. The role is independent from the Government, and Ms Clarke reports directly to parliament. Her office investigates breaches of rights, provides legal representation, reviews laws and services, advises and makes recommendations to parliament and has some responsibility for public education. Find out more about Ombudspersons here We are very passionate about protection – in the home, in communities and in institutions. What bothers me is that we are teaching children that violence is an acceptable way to solve differences. Our legislation says there must be no corporal punishment in early childhood institutions, but there is no legislation covering older children. This halfway approach was an error from the beginning. We need to move away from a society where violence is considered acceptable Children with disabilities are often not catered for. But there are good organisations in Jamaica working on these issues. My advice to child activists and other ombuspersons is that you have to keep up-to-date with the latest research and information. Makes sure you are using the best data for your advocacy initiatives. The best thing about my job is that there is a great opportunity to bring about change and make a difference. And that is not just for children in Jamaica now, but also for the future. The most difficult thing about my job is that some people can have unrealistic expectations about how much we can do. Although we always welcome people reporting to us. This is actually my perfect job. I could not ask for anything better. After a life time spent working with children, this feels like the peak for me. This job has been a natural progression in my career. We have been part of some great achievements, such as our involvement in the Sexual Offences Act, highlighting abuse of children, and influencing parliament. A real challenge for child rights is the availability of resources. After all, there is a strong child rights community in Jamaica. Even with good intentions, and the ability to listen, it is hard without the resources and when Jamaica has such high public debt. If I could some up child rights in one word? Obligation. Read more interviews:
The Convention on the Rights of the Child has made a tremendous difference. Our whole Child Care and Protection Act was created to bring us in line with the CRC. The best thing is that it is applicable to all children.