Women's group to tackle sexual harassment

KINGSTON:

The disturbing problem of sexual harassment in the private and public spheres will come under the microscope on Tuesday, April 21, when the Bureau of Women's Affairs (BWA) and Women's Media Watch-Jamaica host a sensitisation forum on the issue. The forum is scheduled for the Terra Nova Hotel and runs from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The event, which is dubbed, 'Sexual Harassment (W) Rap Up', will explore and highlight new research on the issue of sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based violence. The session will also provide an update on new policies and programmes with regard to stemming gender-based violence.

The BWA has developed a Sexual Harassment Policy geared towards workplace, institutions and accommodations. This policy will be implemented soon. As a precursor to the policy and the subsequent legislation, training is being undertaken to ensure that workers are sensitised.

The aim of the training is to enable workers to better understand sexual harassment and to be more aware of harassment as a problem. The training allows both managers and workers to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behaviours and to understand their rights and responsibilities on sexual harassment.

- Contributed

Bartlett urges youth to consider careers in tourism

MONTEGO BAY, St James:

Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, is encouraging young people to take up jobs in the tourism industry.

The minister, who was addressing the inaugural Tourism Youth Expo and Career Fair recently at the Ritz-Carlton Resort, said that tourism was a viable career option, and efforts would be made to guide the youth towards a greater appreciation of the industry.

"Under my watch, we are determined that the future of our youth must be bright and must be preserved. Therefore, we must educate, inform, advise and guide these young minds towards careers in tourism and an appreciation of the value of the industry, and, indeed, to be able to benefit from the industry," he stated.

He pointed out that the second phase of the Spruce Up Jamaica programme was geared at empowering the mind and the body, and creating excellence, "making the youth understand the value of the tourism industry, and for them to begin to be engaged in this vital area of Jamaica's economy".

Noting the importance of the industry, Bartlett said it employed some 80,000 Jamaicans directly and well over 150,000 persons indirectly, contributing some 47 per cent of the foreign exchange generated in the economy.

- JIS

Tourejon to boost domestic food market

MAY PEN, Clarendon:

Tourejon Food Processors Jamaica Limited, located at the Denbigh Industrial Estate, Clarendon, is one company that is helping to increase domestic food crops, while contributing to technology transfer.

They received support under the domestic food crop production programme, currently administered by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Assistance is provided based on a need analysis survey and can include transfer of technology, land preparation, provision of planting material and negotiation of marketing arrangements to sell produce to hotels, supermarkets or overseas. The goals are to foster best practices within the agricultural sector, produce more domestic food for local consumption, reduce reliance on imports and provide goods for export markets.

Crops targeted include yellow yam, negro yam, sweet potato and dasheen, often in short supply on local and export markets. Recently Tourejon began processing these food items through a series of completely high-tech automated processes, and packaging them in vacuum sealed bags for sale on local and overseas markets.

Tourejon director, Norma Russell, says products are mechanically peeled, sliced, sanitised and packaged.

"Our slogan is 'Nyam Jamaica.Yam Jamaica'," she says. "Our products are high in energy, excellent sources of fibre, full of antioxidants, easy to digest and, most important, very easy for householders to prepare," she said.

- JIS

Int'l cattle breeders conference

ST ANDREW:

Red Poll Cattle Breeders from across the world will converge in Jamaica on April 25 for the 2009 Red Poll Conference, which is being celebrated under the theme, 'Jamaica - Its Cattle and Heritage'. The conference, scheduled for The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, is slated to commence at 9 a.m. and will be attended by cattle breeders from Britain, Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Uruguay and Panama.

Chairman of the Jamaica Red Poll Cattle Breeders Society, Dr Karl Wellington, explained that the seminar is important to Jamaica at this time in light of the decline of the island's dairy sector. Most important, he noted, the congress would gather key players in the industry to exchange vital information on developments in the sector, particularly as it relates to genetic improvements and the introduction of grass and legumes in the production of livestock.

Minister of Agriculture, Dr Christopher Tufton, explained that "given that the Red Poll is a dual-purpose breed, this sharing of genetic material will facilitate the balance between its 'beefing' and milk-production potential. This will in turn, create a more versatile animal to address the food-security needs in our respective countries."

- Contributed

Gun body concerned about removal from Budget

KINGSTON:

The National Gun Rights Association (NGRA) said that it is concerned with the prime minister's statement that agencies such as the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) will be removed from the Budget. The association said that it has viewed this position "as a signal that the FLA will have to increase fees to stay afloat".

"The National Gun Rights Association would like to remind the Government that the estimated 35,000 licensed firearm holders are carrying firearms in pursuit of their constitutional right to self-defence and not as a privilege," it said in a statement. "The Government has not made it safe for the citizens to go about their normal business in peace and safety, and therefore should not add any undue burden in our right to protect ourselves and our families."

The NGRA said that it "believes that the Government is making a fundamental mistake and should consider dismantling the Firearm Licensing Authority," arguing that "the issuing of gun licences should be returned to the police force with a strict system of accountability and efficiency and ultimately less expensive for the citizens".

- Contributed