CARICOM Launches Youth Crime Prevention Committee
The Caribbean Community has established a new Youth Advisory Committee to place young people at the center of regional crime and violence prevention initiatives. The body will include representatives aged 18 to 29 from across CARICOM Member States and Associate Members, such as the British Virgin Islands.
The Caribbean Community has established a dedicated youth advisory committee aimed at placing young people at the centre of regional efforts to prevent crime and violence across the Caribbean. The newly formed CARICOM Youth Advisory Committee on the Prevention of Crime and Violence will provide a structured platform for youth-led input, guidance, and co-creation in shaping regional crime prevention initiatives.
Through this body, youth representatives will contribute directly to interactive webinars, practical toolkits, and policy-related initiatives under the Crime and Security and Youth Development programmes of the CARICOM Secretariat. The committee will comprise eight youth members between the ages of 18 and 29 drawn from selected CARICOM Member States and Associate Members.
As an Associate Member of CARICOM, the British Virgin Islands shares regional challenges related to youth empowerment, justice reform, and security, making regional youth-focused initiatives increasingly relevant to local communities. Michele Small-Bartley, Programme Manager for Youth Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, noted that the initiative will help ensure regional strategies reflect the lived realities of Caribbean youth while connecting young people directly with policymakers and security institutions.
Small-Bartley highlighted that research consistently shows Caribbean youth are disproportionately impacted by crime and violence, whether as victims, individuals at risk, or those navigating the justice system. She explained that structural challenges, including unemployment, social exclusion, limited access to justice, prolonged pretrial detention, and emerging threats such as cybercrime, continue to heighten vulnerability among the region's young population.
In response, CARICOM collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme on a Tripartite Study examining pretrial detention, non-custodial sentencing, and alternative justice mechanisms. This partnership produced the CARICOM-UNDP Diagnostic Document and the CARICOM-UN Action Framework.
Sherwin Toyne-Stephenson, Programme Manager for Crime and Security at the CARICOM Secretariat, stated that CARICOM is utilizing findings from the study to develop public health and prevention-oriented justice tools, noting that youth engagement remains essential to keeping these initiatives relevant and sustainable.
The committee will also focus on raising awareness about restorative justice, diversion programmes, alternatives to incarceration, and cyber safety, ensuring diverse representation from marginalized groups and remote communities across the region.
Primary source: 284 Media