U.S. Department of State Commits Additional Funds to the United States – Jamaica Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership
As the Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership between the United States and Jamaican governments enters its final year, the U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Office announced it provided an additional $597,000 USD (approximately JMD $89.6M) in financial support to its civil society partners – Warnath Group and Winrock International – to expand on their activities in support of the Partnership.
Warnath Group received an additional $97,000 USD (JMD $14.6M) while Winrock International’s funding was increased by another $500,000 USD (JMD $75M) to enhance their collaboration with the Government of Jamaica to improve capacity to hold more child traffickers accountable, improve identification and assistance for children exploited by traffickers, and address the challenges of preventing child trafficking within the country.
U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires John McIntyre said: “The U.S. Embassy remains a committed partner in the fight against child trafficking in Jamaica. Through this partnership and additional funding, we are strengthening our efforts with the Government of Jamaica to build on achievements to date and to make a real difference for the country’s most vulnerable trafficking victims.”
With this new funding, the U.S. government has invested a total of nearly $6.7 million in foreign assistance, and Jamaican ministries, departments, and agencies have also invested resources and personnel toward the goals and objectives of the CPC Partnership.
Since the signing of the U.S.-Jamaica CPC in May 2018, the three CPC Partnership organizations, Warnath Group, Winrock International, and the International Organization for Migration, have worked diligently to achieve the Partnership’s objectives: strengthening the Jamaican government’s efforts to effectively investigate, prosecute, and convict child traffickers; identify and provide comprehensive trauma-informed care for more child victims of these crimes; and prevent child trafficking in all its forms.
The additional funds will increase the time and scope of the CPC Partnership organizations’ efforts, which, in collaboration with the Jamaican governments, have created a National Referral Mechanism for the country, delivered trainings to judges and prosecutors on implementing Jamaica’s anti-trafficking law and supporting child victims during criminal justice proceedings, and supported the creation of screening tools to better identify victims. Winrock International will pursue their work into 2022 with Warnath Group continuing into 2023. A third CPC Partnership organization, the International Organization for Migration, will continue their work into 2022.
Tho read the original announcement from the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica, click here.
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