Jamaica: Human Rights Violations Report 2019

J-FLAG is a human rights and social justice organisation which advocates for the rights, livelihood and well- being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Jamaica.

Our work seeks to build a Jamaican society that respects and protects the rights of everyone. Our board and staff are committed to promoting social change, empowering the LGBT community, and building tolerance for and acceptance of LGBT people.

Since 2012, the organisation has been operating

under five broad objectives:

 

  1. Increase public tolerance and understanding of LGBT peoples

  2. Transform J-FLAG into an effective umbrella group to improve service to the LGBT community

  3. Create the foundation for legal reform

  4. Increase organisational Sustainability

  5. Improve community engagement and mobilization

In pursuit of these objectives,

the following strategic approaches are being used:

 

  1. Create a powerful J-FLAG brand whose promise is that of a caring, value driven organisation dedicated to promoting inherent human dignity and the right to be.

  2. Strong, proactive leadership of the LGBT Community.

  3. Collaborate with other human rights groups and stakeholders in pursuit of incremental gains against all forms of discrimination.

  4. Create a culture of excellence that attracts creative, high-calibre personnel who will develop efficient operating systems and a buoyant stream of donors.

See more via J-Flag

J-FLAG’s Report on Human Rights Violations 2019

For 2019, we recorded a total number of 21 cases. A trend that was seen in the reporting was that most of the reports were physical and verbal assaults. These came from different persons. A small number of cases were reported to the police. Due to a lack of office space, the reports submitted were for asylum purposes. The lack of office space also affected our ability to collect other supporting documents from clients, such as an identification card, police reports, etc. It also affected the number of reports received as well as the purpose for making the report. All reports submitted since the start of the year, were from persons seeking asylum. Another trend recognized was that all reports for the year were made by gay men. Read the report