CPFSA Mourns Killing of 10-Year-Old Shani Coke, Urges Nationwide Child Safeguards

The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) has voiced horror and profound grief over the sexual assault and killing of 10-year-old Shani Coke.

Officials said the tragedy underscores how many Jamaican minors still endure violence and mistreatment, and the agency is pressing again for tighter safeguards for children and sharper watchfulness in communities.

Chief Executive Officer Laurette Adams-Thomas said the CPFSA stands with the bereaved relatives and the broader public in sorrow.

Adams-Thomas said, "This must be a turning point for Jamaica. We must cultivate an environment where the protection of our children is an immediate priority, transcending the rhetoric that simply designates them as the future. Every child is precious. Every life has immeasurable value and every adult has a responsibility to intervene, to report abuse, to speak up and to act. If we truly believe that our children are our greatest asset, then our actions must begin to reflect those words."

The agency framed the homicide as a countrywide signal to defend Jamaica’s young people and to refuse every kind of violence directed at them.

According to the CPFSA, its front-line teams are assisting the victim’s relatives, reviewing the wellbeing of other minors linked to the home, and coordinating with investigators as the police inquiry proceeds.

Adams-Thomas added that keeping children safe is a duty shared across the nation, and she called on the public to flag any suspected instance of child abuse.