Golding Renews Call for Legalisation of Pepper Spray

Opposition Leader, Mark Golding, has renewed his calls for the government to establish a law allowing women and girls to use pepper-spray as a self defence tool.

He repeated the call on his Instagram page on Wednesday.

Shaloy Smikle has the details.

The Opposition leader says the lawful use of pepper sprays remains unclear.

In a post to his Instagram page on Wednesday, Mr. Golding reminded the public of an excerpt from his speech in the House of Representatives on November 9, 2021.

On that day, Mr. Golding, who’s also an attorney, explained that there are conflicting Acts about whether or not the use of pepper sprays is legal.

Mr Golding reminded the public that he had tabled two Private Member Bills, proposing that the issue be clarified.

But, the Opposition leader says 30 months and three weeks later, the government continues to ignore his proposal. He says what he said then, remains true today.

Mr. Golding says crimes against women remain a big issue in Jamaican society. He stressed that women are frequently the victims of abduction and other forms of violence.

The Opposition leader reiterated that it is important that women are empowered to protect themselves.