Today, by declaration of the United Nations, is Universal Children’s Day. In an ideal world, we would not need such a commemoration. All children would be protected and would have access to adequate nutrition, education and nurture. There is still much work to do, however.

Jamaica’s population stands at almost 2.8 million people. According to the UN’s most recent Country Report, just over a third of this population consists of children (age 18 and under). This report also states that Jamaica has made progress in terms of achieving the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but there is still room for improvement.

And although 97 per cent of children will have a chance of surviving beyond age five and 100 per cent will have a chance to be enrolled in school, significant threats remain for young people. These include violence, abuse, natural disasters, the effects of poverty and inadequate education.

Exposure to violence is perhaps the most immediate issue. With the third highest murder rate in the world, crime and abuse persist and many young people are exposed and subjected to experiences that have a detrimental effect on their development. But changes are occurring at the highest levels and these policies will slowly start to have a trickle-down effect at the ground level.

In 2004, the Child Care Protection Act was established to create a policy framework to address some of these issues. An offshoot of this is the Office of the Children’s Advocate. They are doing great work, but the country’s desperate financial situation is placing constraints on so many of the government agencies that are trying to do good work. The financial strain is also extending to the civil society organizations, which are struggling to operate with inadequate funds.

In short, much has been achieved in terms of protecting Jamaica’s children but much remains to be done to protect the most vulnerable segment of the nation’s population.

Thanks to fellow volunteer Onyka for reminding me of Universal Children’s Day.