Several inmates at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre in Kingston are being equipped to recognise and report cases of gender-based violence (GBV) through a sensitisation workshop spearheaded by the non-profit organisation Y.A.R.D Empire.
The initiative aims to prepare incarcerated men for successful reintegration by equipping them with the knowledge and tools to recognise, prevent, and report GBV-related issues.
The certificate-based programme covers two core modules —gender-based violence and sexual harassment, facilitated by Joanie James and Reverend Jahmealla Romance from the Bureau of Gender Affairs within the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.
Y.A.R.D Empire founder, Iris ‘Terri’ Salmon, who has led multiple interventions at the institution, hopes this initiative will support the successful reintegration of inmates into society.
“Especially the ones who will be leaving within a year or so, I hope they will be better able to understand the issue,” Salmon said. “I hope they share it throughout the institution to empower other inmates who may not come to the sessions, but when they come out of the institution, they will be different and transformed in mind, and better able to understand that it’s a different Jamaica – different world even – than how they left it.”
The workshop unpacks the definition and scope of gender-based violence, which the European Commission defines as violence directed at someone because of their gender, or violence that disproportionately affects individuals of a particular gender. The sessions also explore the Sexual Harassment (Protection & Prevention) Act, 2021, defines sexual harassment as the making of any unwelcome advance towards a person by someone which is regarded as offensive or humiliating to said person.
Inmates were introduced to various forms of sexual harassment—physical, verbal, non-verbal, and written/visual—and the potential legal consequences, including fines of up to JMD$1,000,000 or imprisonment of up to 12 months.
For one inmate, convicted of a sexual offence, the workshop was especially meaningful.
“I believe it’s important to be sensitised on what direction the world is going in as it relates to GBV and sexual harassment,” he shared. “We don’t want to go out there and things are changing, and end up back here, so you want to make sure that you are being on your best watch. I decided to take on this class because I want to be one of those persons who can say to my friends, family and children that this is the direction that the world is going in, so we need to fall in line.”
Another participant reflected on the power of new knowledge.
“Truth is, when we go through the entire programme, we would have realised many of us would have committed some of these things without even knowing,” he said. “We’re now more informed about what is up against us, so it is very important that we get ourselves updated with what is happening in our society.”
Inmates were also educated on how to report or seek support for GBV-related matters after release, which includes the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Community Safety and Security Branch, and dedicated helplines (876) 553-0387 (men) and (876) 553-0372 (women).
To deepen the impact, Y.A.R.D Empire also presented a short film dramatizing the key issues to help the inmates better connect with the material.