A half-hearted education
The adult literacy rate reached 88% in 2020. These figures are encouraging but still below the Caribbean rate of 92%. This leaves 12% of illiteracy, which mainly affects the countryside and disadvantaged areas of the cities. Although most Jamaican children attend school, school is not compulsory and teachers are frequently confronted with prolonged absences of some students, most often due to family dislocation. Teachers must therefore be particularly attentive. With the arrival of new technologies, access to education seems to be easier: 96.5% of young people aged 15 to 24 have a mobile phone and 46.5% use the Internet.
A persistent problem of violence
With more than 1,300 homicides per year in 2020 and a rate of 46.5 homicides per 100,000 people, Jamaica ranks sixth in the dramatic ranking of the highest per capita crime rate in the world, and has the highest crime rate in South America and the Caribbean, according to data released by the Jamaica Constabulary Force. Nearly all crime affects Jamaicans living in the ghettos of Kingston, Spanish Town and Montego Bay. There are 8,100 guns per 100,000 people, with most of the crime occurring in clashes between hostile gangs over control of the drug trade. Prime Minister Andrew Holness has launched a long-term security plan for Jamaica. In 2021, the country had 1,463 deaths... a new dramatic national record.
A very macho society
Jamaican society is enduringly macho, yet women play a central role in the organization of society. The unemployment rate for women is almost twice that of men. However, they are the lifeblood of the island and are mainly found in the education, health care, clothing, administration and hotel sectors. Men are represented in the construction, automobile and physical work sectors. If you are travelling as a couple, the husband is more likely to be approached than the wife
A homophobic nation
june 29, 2014: 25,000 Jamaicans take to the streets to support the explicit "anti-sodomy" law comparing homosexuals to rapists and murderers. Described by Time magazine, but also by the United States, as the "most homophobic country in the world," Jamaica assumes its bias. Legally, Jamaicans face up to 10 years in prison for "sexual acts between men". An edifying example: while neither party supports LGBT rights, the conservative opposition Jamaican Labour Party (JLP) adopted T.O.K.'s song Chi Chi Man as its party anthem in 2001... inciting the burning alive and killing of gays! The Church also has its role, it is the first lobby to put pressure on the population to morally condemn any homosexual. The courageous association J-Flag, created in 1998, militates for LGBT rights in Jamaica, but it is under permanent threat. It has counted about 90 homophobic attacks, including a few murders, every year. The pressure is so great that Human Rights Watch said in 2012 that "gay advocates in Jamaica are not safe on the island." Macabre news stories make the headlines regularly: in 2017, it was the face of Jamaican Gay Pride, Dexter Pottinger, a model, fashion designer and TV star, who was found stabbed to death in his home. In 2019, Romario Brown, initially charged with Pottinger's murder, pleads guilty. He is sentenced to 12 years for manslaughter. Assaults are increasing and becoming more violent. The Rastafarians, who one would hope would be more tolerant as they themselves are stigmatized for their political and religious affiliation, are not left behind in the incitement to homophobia either. The two iconic singers of the movement, Capleton and Sizzla, but also all the great singers of Dancehall: Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Anthony B, Elephant Man (the list is long)... make the apology of homophobia and incite to the murder and the rape of gays and lesbians in their songs. Nevertheless, Capleton and Sizzla, very famous internationally, remain discreet on the issue, after having been banned several times from touring in the United States and Europe for their homophobic songs..
An early and uninhibited sexuality
Sexual intercourse is common in adolescence. Contraception campaigns have not yet had the desired effect. Abortion is inaccessible. In addition, the rate of HIV/AIDS is quite high (1.75% of the population or more than 30,000 people infected) but the epidemic has been stagnating for years. Some Jamaicans - women and men - may have several marriages in their lives, often have several children, families are blended, and it is often difficult to find one's way through the family tree. It is not uncommon for a Jamaican to live on the island and have other children elsewhere, often in the United States or England, from a previous marriage. Also, to help each other, some families take in children from other families on a long-term basis. Marriage is a common practice, even if part of the society (especially the Rastas) denies it
Ganja decriminalized for Jamaicans
Cannabis possession was decriminalised in 2015, when it was previously considered a crime. Residents can now possess 57 grams and 5 plants in their homes, without it being considered a criminal offence. Officially, marijuana can also be used in a religious context legally by members of the Rastafari movement. Tourists with prescriptions can also walk around with marijuana, which develops a certain "medical tourism"
