Advocacy group Hear the Children‘s Cry, is calling on the government and law enforcement, to use the laws in place, to protect children, to help stop the long–standing issue of child abuse.

In a release on Tuesday, the group said, Jamaica’s ticking time–bomb of child abuse, and the inadequate social welfare–system–that supports it, must be exposed and prioritized nationally.

The group noted, that 14,183 reports–of child abuse, were made to the registry during 2022, which is almost triple the amount for 2020 and 2021 combined.

Founder of the group, Betty Ann Blaine, says multi-faceted solutions, should be implemented to address the issue.

She said, the responsibility of reporting the crime, should not lie on the victim, and that more focus should be placed, on the prosecution of those who impregnate, or have sexual intercourse with minors.

Ms. Blaine says, she is calling on the government, to start 2023 with critical action, on one of the root causes, of many of the nation’s current challenges.