Westmoreland JP petitions Gov’t for child maintenance and custody law reforms

According to Jamaica Observer (General News), NEGRIL, Westmoreland — Drawing from her personal experience with parental abandonment, and her background as a justice of the peace and child diversion mentor, Westmoreland resident Jhoenea Suena Wilson has submitted a petition to Jamaica House pushing for major changes to the Children (Guardianship and Custody) Act, and the Maintenance Act. “This is something I have experienced, seen, and have first-hand knowledge of when it comes to laws no longer serving our current reality, given the economy and the cost of living,” argued Wilson in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday. “When it comes to maintenance, either parent — whether father or mother — can abandon a child and return whenever they desire to disrupt, rather than add value to, family life,” added Wilson who also serves as a justice of the peace (JP). Wilson, a first-year law student, explained that her legal studies