Mediation Act Deemed Key to Curbing Domestic Violence and Easing Health System Strain

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says the Mediation Act will provide an important intervention to help reduce the risk of domestic violence, which places additional strain on the public health system.

Making his contribution to the debate on the Bill in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (July 7), Dr. Tufton argued that Jamaica is a high trauma society, much of which is influenced by behaviour.

“Unfortunately, much of the cases we see in accident and emergency [wards], which leads to doctors and nurses and other health practitioners’ attention, is caused by decisions that we make and, in some instances, decisions that are against each other,” he stated.

The Minister emphasised that while acts of domestic violence often occur behind closed doors, their consequences extend far beyond the home, impacting families, communities, health services, workplaces, and the justice system.

“On a typical week anywhere in Jamaica, in our accident and emergency [wards] or in some doctor’s office, there is some treatment being meted out because of this type of antisocial behaviour,” Dr. Tufton said.

“The reason this Bill is important is because these issues don’t just occur. They start, sometimes, as a small, simple disagreement, and because of one reason or another, they escalate… leading to the injuries that are as a result of domestic violence,” he added.

In 2024, the Jamaica Injury Surveillance System recorded a total of 33,081 injuries, nearly 7,000 of which were violence related. During the same year, just under 2,000 cases of violence against women required treatment at hospitals or health centres.

“The data is also supporting that [persons between] the ages [of] 18 and 40 account for some 74 per cent of these cases. Because of how the Bill is structured, it allows an opportunity to deal with these issues early at the level of the community, whether through community leaders, through the mechanism that is created by this Bill…, to avoid these circumstances before they escalate, leading to a strain on the health system and the pain and the suffering which results,” Dr. Tufton said.

“Men are impacted too. The 2024 survey from the Jamaica Injury Surveillance System supports this fact – some 2,593 violence-related injuries among men… and almost 35 per cent of that is represented through intimate partner relationships. In the case of women, it’s higher. It represents some 74 per cent… almost 75 per cent,” he added.

Dr. Tufton further emphasised that the legislation encourages intervention through community, family, and domestic mediation.

He noted that the health sector employs nearly 5,000 health officers, including vector-control workers, community health aides, and public health nurses and doctors.

Dr. Tufton also highlighted the Problem Management Plus (PM+) programme, which delivers community based mental health support to individuals coping with adversity such as loss, violence, and disasters.

“Wherever there can be integration to support that, it would add critical value to managing cordial relations in the community between families or friends, as the case may be,” he stated.