A stain on our national character’: Chang speaks out on violence against women

Jamaica’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr. Horace Chang, has condemned a recent spate of violent acts against women and girls, describing the incidents as “deeply troubling” and “a stain on our national character.”

In a strongly worded statement, Dr. Chang expressed outrage over a series of shocking crimes that have gripped the nation in recent days. These include the sexual assault of two young girls, aged nine and ten, in Old Harbour, St. Catherine on May 7; the brutal strangulation and assault of nine-year-old Kelsey Ferrigon in Spanish Town on May 9; the vicious road rage attack on a nurse in Mount Friendship, St. Andrew on May 13; and the May 17 discovery of skeletal remains in Portmore, believed to be those of missing UTECH student, Anisa Dilworth.

On Monday, scores of nurses, medical practitioners, and residents marched in protest against the recent wave of violence against women and children.

These heinous incidents have caused national outrage, inflicted deep pain on families and communities,s and have shaken the moral conscience of society,” said Dr. Chang.

He called the acts “not only criminal violations, but moral ones – offences against our shared values of decency, justice and human dignity.