Statement on the Tragic Death of 16-Year-Old Jerbiah Paul: A Call toAction for Civil Society

The tragic death of 16-year-old Jerbiah Kaysia Paul has profoundly saddened and disturbed us. We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and all those who loved her.

Jerbiah was a child. She had a future ahead of her, dreams yet to be fulfilled and a contribution yet to be made to her family and community. Her death is an unimaginable loss to those who knew and loved her, but it should also cause all of us as a society to pause, reflect and ask some difficult questions.

As a civil society organization, Circle of Friends would like to exhort other Civil Society Organizations that we cannot simply express outrage when another young life is lost and then return to business as usual. This moment demands that we look inward.

We must examine our own work.

Across Dominica, civil society organizations are doing important work with children, adolescents, families and communities. We provide education, mentorship, counselling, skills training, advocacy, youth development and support services.

But this tragedy challenges us to ask:

Are we doing enough? Are our programmes sufficiently responsive to the realities young people are experiencing today? Are we creating safe spaces where children and adolescents feel comfortable telling an adult when they are afraid, being threatened,

being exploited or simply feel that something is not right? Are we equipping young people with the knowledge and confidence to recognize unsafe relationships and situations? Are we adequately supporting parents and caregivers to understand

the changing risks facing children? Are our programmes reaching the young people who are most vulnerable—or are we primarily reaching those who are already

connected to services?

And perhaps most importantly:

Are we working together effectively enough? This cannot be the work of one organization. The protection of children and young people cannot rest solely with the

police, social services, schools, parents or individual NGOs.

It requires a whole-of-society response. Civil society organizations must move beyond working in isolation and begin to deliberately build stronger systems of collaboration. Our collective impact will always be greater than the sum of our individual

programmes.

We at Circle of Friends therefore call on members of all civil society organizations across Dominica to use this moment as an opportunity to review, strengthen and realign our programming. We must examine where the gaps are, identify duplication, share information responsibly, strengthen referral pathways and determine where our collective resources can have the greatest impact.

We need stronger partnerships between organizations working in:

● child protection and safeguarding;

● education and youth development;

● mental health and psychosocial support;

● gender-based violence prevention;

● parenting and family support;

● community development;

● faith-based engagement;

● disability and vulnerable-population support;

● law, justice and human rights; and

● youth leadership and empowerment.

We need to move from programmes to a stronger protection network.

Civil society should be asking how we can create clearer pathways of

support for a child or young person who is at risk. If a young person discloses that they are afraid, who do they go to? If a child goes missing, what mechanisms exist for rapid communication and coordinated support?

If a young person is experiencing abuse, exploitation, coercion or violence, can they easily access someone they trust? Do our organizations have appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures?

Do our staff and volunteers know what to do when a concern is raised? And when one organization encounters a situation that falls outside its mandate, is there a trusted organization to which that young person can be referred immediately?

These are not theoretical questions anymore. They are questions we must be prepared to answer. We are therefore calling for greater collaboration within civil society.

We call on civil society organizations to come together to establish a more coordinated approach to child and youth safety, protection and violence prevention.

This should include:

1. A review of our programming.

Organizations should critically examine whether existing programmes are addressing the current risks facing children and young people and identify areas requiring strengthening.

2. Stronger safeguarding standards.

Every organization working with children should have appropriate safeguarding policies, reporting mechanisms, staff training and clear procedures for responding to concerns.

3. Improved referral and response mechanisms.

We must know who to call, where to refer and how to support a young person when a concern emerges.

4. Greater sharing of knowledge and resources.

No organization has all the expertise or resources required. We must be willing to share training, tools, research, expertise and good practices.

5. More meaningful youth participation. We cannot design programmes for young people without listening to young people. They must have safe and meaningful opportunities to tell us what they are experiencing and what support they need.

6. Stronger engagement with parents and communities. Prevention begins long before a crisis. Parents, caregivers and communities need practical tools to recognize risks, communicate with young people and respond appropriately.

7. Collective advocacy.

Where systemic gaps exist, civil society must use our collective voice to advocate for stronger policies, services and accountability mechanisms. Let Jerbiah's death challenge us to do better. This is not about assigning blame to civil society. It is about recognizing that we too have a responsibility. We must be courageous enough to examine our own work, acknowledge where gaps exist and ask what we can do differently. Our organizations may have different mandates, different approaches

and different constituencies, but our ultimate responsibility is shared: to help create communities in which children and young people are safe, heard, respected and protected.

Jerbiah's life should not become another statistic that fades from our

national consciousness. Let her death be a catalyst for action. Let us come together—not simply to condemn violence after it occurs, but to strengthen prevention before another child is lost. As civil society, let us commit to reviewing our programmes,

strengthening our safeguarding systems, building stronger partnerships and creating a coordinated network of support around our children and young people. Because protecting children is not the responsibility of one organization.

It is our collective responsibility.

And the time to act is now.