Violence prevention conference opens in Jamaica

Wednesday, October 8, 2003

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Over 300 participants are expected to attend the international conference on violence prevention, which will open at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston today.

The island's Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Pan-American Health Organisation will be hosting the event through 9th October, to provide a forum for the exchange of best practices, aimed at increasing awareness and gaining commitment from policy and decision makers, JIS News reported.

Newly appointed Director of PAHO, Ms. Mirta Roses Periago, will be making her first official trip to Jamaica to attend the conference. Jamaica's Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, will be the keynote speaker at the event. 

Topics to be explored by the 10 international presenters as well as local presenters include, 'Approaches to Reduce Homicides'; 'Children and Violence: An Integrated Response', and 'The Role of Media in Violence.'

Dr. Manuel Peña, PAHO's Representative in Jamaica, said, "There is a need for the development of policies and the implementation of programmes that will operate as prevention and control strategies for Jamaica."

Additionally, the conference comes in light of the World Report on Violence and Health, which is considered an invaluable contribution to violence prevention. In fact, the report merited a resolution from the World Health Assembly in May 2003 that urged neighbour-states to promote the report and actively make use of the recommendations, Dr. Pena said. 

The PAHO Representative said research had shown that violence was a major problem in the development of nations, not only affecting the quality of life, but also eroding the social fabric of countries. "Despite the efforts of governments, international agencies and NGOs, there is a high incidence of violence in the Americas," he said. 

For example, more than 12 countries of that region have a homicide rate in excess of two digits per hundred thousand of the population, Dr. Pena explained. The rates for some of them, which are classified as very high, are Columbia 65, Honduras 55, Guatemala 50, El Salvador 45, Jamaica 44, Venezuela 35 and Brazil 28.

Yesterday, the Jamaica Gleaner reported that ice pick stab wounds, machete and knife gashes and gunshot injuries are very pricey, costing the Jamaica government a whopping $500 million alone last year. The Gleaner quoted Dr. Elizabeth Ward, the director of Epidemiology at the Ministry of Health, as saying that injuries at hospitals island-wide due to violence are between 8 and 12 percent.

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