CISOCA officer-mothers share how child-abuse work shapes parenting and vigilance

Senior Jamaica Constabulary Force officers who are also mothers at the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) say the unit’s caseload forces constant choices between professional duty and family presence, especially around milestones they can miss when investigations demand immediate attention.

Detective Inspector Debia Jennings and Quality Assurance Officer Shereice Johnson, both CISOCA staff and parents, told a recent JCF discussion marking Mother’s Day that they deliberately separate work from home so each role can function, even though the two worlds often overlap when cases involve children the same age as their own.

Jennings said she was already a parent before her CISOCA posting, but the work sharpened how she monitors her children’s behaviour and security because she sees daily how exposed minors can be. Johnson recalled being sent to a hospital early in her CISOCA tenure for an abused 18-month-old girl; she wept at the scene despite trying to compose herself, then went home and held her own daughter tightly. Both officers said charge logs and field contact can make a parent read reports through the lens of their child’s age.

On the job, they draw on maternal instinct—patience, compassion, and sometimes hugs or food—to reassure young victims that someone cares, stepping out of a strictly police posture when children need comfort. At home, Johnson described nearly missing her son’s graduation notice because work had consumed her attention; she now marks clearer boundaries between duty hours and time for her children. Jennings relies on relatives and colleagues to cover school meetings or emergencies when she cannot attend in person.

They urged gradual, age-appropriate safety conversations rather than a single “birds and bees” talk: warnings about bad touch, telling a trusted adult, and not keeping secrets from parents when someone says “don’t tell.” Both described becoming more overprotective—preferring friends visit their home where they can listen—while watching for behavioural red flags. Johnson stressed that boys are also molested, including by older women, and that men’s voices often carry weight with sons; she alternates a firm “police voice” with guidance as her son enters his teens.

The officers warned that abuse frequently comes from trusted adults left alone with children, and that society often shields girls while leaving boys on the street late or expecting them to “be tough,” which silences male victims. Detective Inspector Jennings said it is critical to heed a child the first time they refuse a relative’s house or lap, because ignoring that signal can deepen trauma and shut down future disclosure. For Mother’s Day self-care, Johnson hoped for rest with family; Jennings planned quiet exercise when off duty.