Jamaicans for Justice! JFJ is one of the only Organisations based in Jamaica that is a registered Human Rights organization
Their ethos claims to be interested in helping Jamaicans by advocating for our Constitutional Rights and Human Rights to be enforced!
Their ethos claims to be interested in helping Jamaicans by advocating for our Constitutional Rights and Human Rights to be enforced!
After my recent challenges with having my Constitutional rights, specifically my rights to Legal Counsel and Fair treatment within the judicial system were blatantly disregarded at the Magistrates court in Kingston, Jamaica.
I contacted JFJ for assistance and I found them to be actually very irresponsible, unresponsive and to date I am yet to receive a response to my application for assistance!
In fact when I went to find the offices for JFJ I was really disappointed, and started to think that the whole Organization has to be a very tasteless joke! The offices themselves are situated on the edge of a very notorious community "Grants Pen" situated on the edge literally of a huge Gully. When I saw the location I wondered if JFJ are testing the nerve of their potential clients?
To see who is really brave enough to actually come to visit their offices. Well I was already almost there so I continued although feeling very uncomfortable having taken a bus up Constant Spring Road, I was walking to find the offices from the main road and I was alone.
In spite of all of my efforts to relate to JFJ how serious my situation or how frightened I was, none of their staff seems to have any specific training that would help to alleviate the stress, or anxiety of a potential client, in order to put them at ease and make them feel more positive about their situation. In fact after walking so far alone, I wasn't greeted with a positive attitude at all which I would expect from a Human Rights organisation at least! The Receptionist was actually rude to me creating a really negative first impression. She practically turned me away at the door and I had to get serious and refuse to accept her dismissal, before she agreed to have one of the team actually speak with me and take my details.
Is it really advisable for an organization that claims to have an ethos to assist persons who feel that there is nowhere else for them to turn to get assistance with establishing their rights. To be situated in such a volatile place, is this really a good choice of location?
I have many other questions about the representation or misrepresentation more accurately, of our Rights and the subject of Human Rights in general but I think that looking at the basic, principles, the foundation is an important place to start. As the subject of Human Rights and Constitutional Rights is quite lengthy and broad. But where do we start if we cannot even get to talk about the issues in a reasonable, neutral setting?
And then again even after several calls and an email to initiate a complaint and still no response! After more than two years since that initial visit. This is not only a bad impression, there is something very wrong here!
