1998

Jamaica's Victim Support Unit (VSU) was the first of its kind in the Caribbean. It was established by the then Ministry of National Security and Justice in 1998, and has offices in all 14 parishes that provide advocacy, advice and counselling services to individuals against whom crimes and offences have been committed. A National Coordinator heads the unit and in each parish there is a parish coordinator and a social worker. The VSU is assisted by groups of volunteers selected in each district within the parish.

Table 7.22 Number of persons assisted by the Victim Support Unit (VSU)

Indicator	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Total number of victims of crime assisted by the VSU	6521	6309	8376	7744	9703	10,817
Male (%)	32	43	30	28	39	33
Female (%)	68	57	70	72	61	67
No. of new clients	3.282	3,146	4,104	3,839	4,476	5,083

Many of the crimes for which support is sought are related to sexual offences (Pinnock, 2006). A recent Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) User Satisfaction Survey of the VSU showed that a 98% client satisfaction rate.

Response of the Government of Jamaica to the questionnaire on violence against women