‘Jamaican women are trapped’

Adamant that the decision to leave a bad relationship is the “most lethal stage of abuse” for Jamaican women, an advocates group is urging Jamaicans to sign a petition pressing the Government to, among other things, place at least one high-security shelter in every parish by the end of 2027. The group, Safe Space Advocate JA, says its call was sparked by the tragic death of Tanzanya Dunkley on Good Friday, April 3, 2026, at her home in Three Chains district Manchester, at the hands of her partner, 27-year-old Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) soldier Damanice Williamson, after she reportedly decided to leave the relationship. According to the group, “With only two State-run shelters for the 14 parishes, women across Jamaica are trapped.” The petition, launched on July 3 this year on the Jamaica House Online Portal and which has received only four signatures up to August 13, comes to a close on September 10.

To qualify for review, a petition must get 15,000 signatures within 40 days. If it meets agreed standards, the Office of the Prime Minister will issue an official response. According to Safe Space Advocate Jamaica, two invisible barriers must first be addressed if the island’s females are to be spared.

“First, narcissistic abuse and coercive control are almost always the precursors to femicide, yet victims are often denied help because they lack ‘physical evidence’. Second, mothers are often rejected by neighbours, relatives, and landlords who fear that harbouring a woman and her children will bring a violent abuser to their doorstep,” the advocates said. In contending that “State-run, high-security shelters are the only way to break this cycle”, the civic group is demanding the establishment of the 14 high security shelters islandwide by the end of 2027 and insists that shelter access should “be based on patterns of coercive control, not just physical bruises”.

Furthermore, in batting for the shelters to be “child-safe facilities” the advocacy group said there should be “mandatory capacity for children in every facility so mothers are never forced to choose between their safety and their children”. The group further called for “mandatory domestic violence risk screening” for all Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) personnel by the end of 2026. Safe Space Advocate Jamaica also pressed for a “nationwide resocialisation programme”, s…