Kingston, 21 August 2026 – The third government-run shelter for victims of domestic abuse has been completed. The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, expressed her satisfaction with the construction as she toured the facility on Thursday.

This is the final of the three shelters that Minister Grange had committed to establishing to provide safe spaces for women who live in abusive relationships.

“We made a commitment that we would establish three centres, safe spaces for women, and we’ve achieved that,” said Minister Grange as she recalled that prior to this Administration, there were no state-run shelters for women wishing to leave violent relationships.

In the last few years, the Ministry completed and is operating two shelters for women. Minister Grange said the completion of this third shelter enables the Government to provide much-needed services to vulnerable women across the entire island.

“The completion of this space advances the gender agenda, because what we’ve been able to do now is to provide the spaces across the island, and we are now better equipped that when we get the call, we are able to activate the kind of network that is necessary to move [women in abusive situations] into safe spaces,” said the Minister.

Joining Minister Grange on the tour of the latest facility was the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security and Peace, the Honourable Dr Horace Chang. On this occasion, Dr Chang was also acting in his capacity as Chairman of the Citizens Business Group, a government team that is mandated to manage social interventions across the country.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the establishment of government-run shelters for women “has been a big part of our programme to seek to impact in a positive way a number of vulnerable communities in Jamaica and in particular, in this case, women who have suffered abuse. Minister Grange has been working at this and the Business Group has given its support with funding from both international [sources] and the Consolidated Fund.”

In the last few years, the Ministry of National Security and Peace has established Domestic Violence Intervention Centres at selected police stations as part of the government’s strategy to eliminate domestic violence.

Minister Grange said the government-run shelters not only provide safety but also provide the therapeutic environment for women to rebuild their lives.

“We not only ensure that we protect them, but we help them to gain skills where they don’t have skills, we provide counselling, we have adequate space that we can facilitate a family — mother and children.”

The Minister revealed that during the last few years, one shelter hosted a mother and five of her children, while another mother gave birth while residing at another shelter.

The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, through the Bureau of Gender Affairs, will officially take charge of the latest facility on September 1, 2026. Soon after it will be staffed and operationalised.

Minister Grange said the addition of the third shelter will enable the Ministry to offer up to 70 safe spaces for women and their children.

The Minister encouraged women in abusive situations to call for help. “They just have to call the hotline and we will ensure that they are taken into safe spaces.”

The national domestic violence hotline is available 24-hours a day on 876-553-0372.

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