Candidates for the post of Children’s Advocate have been short-listed, and an appointment to the position is expected by December 31, this year, according to Information Minister Burchell Whiteman.

Speaking in the Senate Friday, Whiteman said the appointment would strengthen the care and protection of children by the establishment of an authority and an office that would investigate and represent cases of the violation of children’s rights and various forms of crimes and abuses against children.

Whiteman’s announcement came during debate on a bill to validate and confirm actions and indemnify judges Resident Magistrates, Justices of the Peace, Clerks of the Court and other persons in the exercise of jurisdiction formerly vested in them under the Juveniles Act, which has been replaced by the Child Care and Protection Act (CCPA).

The bill was introduced because a number of the mentioned persons had continued to hear and determine charges against persons under 18 years of age, who are regarded as children under law and therefore fall under the jurisdiction of the CCPA which repealed the Juveniles Act when it came into force on March 26, 2004.

Under the CCPA, a child is recognised as anyone under 18 years of age.

In addition, the bill provides for a review of cases of persons between 17 and 18 years of age, who were sentenced between March 26 last year and the date when the bill becomes law.

The office of Children’s Advocate is also expected to champion children’s issues, give voice to those suffering abuse and establish mechanisms to ensure their proper representation in court.

Noting that one of the outcomes of the legislation was the

Child Development Agency (CDA), Whiteman said that the agency which had undertaken some 60,000 cases annually, had begun to make a significant impact on the lives of children in Jamaica.

“The CDA has in a relatively short time begun to transform the care and protection of children, it has set up stringent monitoring standards in children’s homes and has put in place five trained monitoring officers to ensure that standards are not compromised in terms of care,” said Whiteman, who also alluded to measures put in place to track child abuse in institutions.

However, Opposition Senator Anthony Johnson slapped the good faith bill, saying it was “sloppy legislation”.

“People were brought before the wrong jurisdiction, this is sloppy work, we need to check every word before we pass laws,” said Johnson.

The bill was eventually passed without amendment.