Editor’s comment
It is unprecedented for this magazine to run editorial commentaries. In this issue an exception is being made in the interest of the thousands of Jamaican women and their children who are being recruited or volunteer to transport illegal drugs abroad.
The news headlines last week highlighted the severity of the problem and the implications for our country as a whole.
All Woman is calling on the relevant government agencies to address this growing epidemic in a real way.
Where are the billboards warning our women about the consequences they are likely to face should they get caught?
Where are the posters in the airport check-in and departure halls, giving the smugglers that very last opportunity for reprieve?
Posters could read — If you have drugs on your person or hidden inside, don’t board the plane. This could be your last chance not to flout the law.
We appreciate that it is a very complex problem, and that the women and men themselves must take responsibility for their actions. This is not to absolve them of blame.
A recent report in the Times newspaper indicated that 34 per cent of all women prisoners in England and Wales are Jamaicans who have been convicted of drug smuggling. Last December, 23 drug mules were caught on a single Air Jamaica flight into Heathrow. A week later, a further 19 were caught on a British Airways flight into Gatwick.
Further, more than 30 women were rushed to hospital from Heathrow last year, after packages of drugs burst inside them.
Meanwhile, at home, authorities have revealed that at least 10 of some 150 drug mules have died from the effects of swallowing cocaine last year.
Such is the magnitude of the problem, and based on the current trend, this year’s figure is set to surpass last year’s.
If this is not a major problem, what is? We need to act now.
We want to hear your views and suggestions.
Send your feedback to allwoman@jamaicaobserver.com or leave a message on our talkback line, 803-1581.
