A St James couple has been charged with abuse after a child protection agent observed a two-year-old child at a medical facility who appeared to have been abused and neglected, and informed the authorities.

Jodi Levy and Demus West appeared in the parish court on Friday on charges of cruelty to a child and assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.

According to the indictment, on June 19 an officer from the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) reported to the police that she spotted a child at the type 5 health centre showing evidence of physical abuse in the form of bruises and burns all over the body. The child was also weak, underweight and vomiting. The report led to the couple’s arrest.

During Friday’s court hearing, the mother accused the father of causing the child’s injuries, but he denied inflicting them. According to him, he knew the baby had fallen at some point.

No applications for bail were made on the parents’ behalf because they had no legal representation.

As a result, presiding judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley remanded the couple in custody until July 21, when they are likely to receive legal representation.

In the lead-up to annual celebrations to mark Child Month this May, acting chief executive officer of CPFSA Michelle McIntosh Harvey noted the worrying trend of child abuse in Jamaica and expressed deep concern about the safety of the nation’s children.

She said that annually, the agency’s National Children’s Registry (NCR) receives roughly 12,000 reports of child abuse in all forms, which are dealt with in the best interest of children in need of care and protection.

In 2022 there was a worrying spike. In total, 15,068 reports of child abuse were brought to the attention of the agency, which is the highest ever recorded over 10 years.

At the time, McIntosh Harvey provided data which showed that since the start of the year approximately 4,279 reports were made to the registry, with behavioural issues, neglect, physical, sexual and emotional abuse ranking the highest.