Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation and the third largest island in the Caribbean with a population of around 2.8 million people.¹ The country has a long history of colonialism, first under the Spanish and then the British. It finally became an independent nation in 1962.²

The original inhabitants of the island died out, mainly due to diseases brought by the Europeans. The majority of Jamaica’s population today are descendants of the huge number of African slaves brought to the island by the British.³

According to the latest estimates, 69% of Jamaicans are Christian of various denominations. There are also significant religious minority populations, most notably Rastafarians. Those who identify as having no religion have increased in number in recent decades and now represent about 21% of the population.⁴

Jamaica is a member of the Organization of American States. It is also a member of the Commonwealth, but has been taking steps to replace the British monarch as its head of state and become a republic.⁵

Constitution and government

The Constitution⁶ protects the rights to “freedom of thought, conscience, belief and observance of political doctrines,” as well as freedom of expression, assembly and association, stating that “Parliament shall pass no law and no organ of the State shall take any action which abrogates, abridges or infringes those rights” (Section 13, Subsections 2 and 3).

Section 17 provides further detail on the protections afforded to “freedom of religion” stating:

“Every person shall have the right to freedom of religion including the freedom to change his religion and the right, either alone or in community with others and both in public and in private, to manifest and propagate his religion in worship, teaching, practice and observance.”

In using this terminology, the right granted under the Constitution fails to directly recognize non-religious beliefs.

Public officials are generally required to declare an oath before God on taking office. However, both the Constitution and specifically The Oaths Act⁷ provide for the option of an affirmation for those who do not wish to swear a religious oath.

Some African-based spiritual practices (obeah) are outlawed under a colonial-era law, The Obeah Act.⁸ The law is rarely enforced, but attempts to repeal the Act have been opposed by Church leaders who argue that decriminalizing these practices would “open the door to “confusion” and demonic forces” as well as “fuel violence [and] empower criminal elements.”⁹

There are reports that the Rastafari community continue to be affected by racial profiling carried out by law enforcement officials and that the dreadlocks of some individuals held in detention had been cut off by force.¹⁰

Religious groups in Jamaica are not required to register with the government, but formal recognition grants access to a number of legal and practical advantages. These include tax exemptions and permission for members of the clergy to visit worshippers of their religion while incarcerated.¹¹

Christianity in Politics and Public Life

While there is no single established church or state religion, the Jamaican State formally recognizes some churches through legislation. For example the Moravian Church in Jamaica is formally established under an Act of Parliament;¹² and in 2013 another Act of Parliament was passed to formally establish the Church of Haile Selassie I.¹³ There is also official symbolic deference to religion, for example the Jamaican National Anthem contains explicit Christian references.

Christianity is further systematically privileged in public life, with Jamaican leaders openly affirming their belief in the Christian god in their public capacity. For example there is the annual National Leadership Prayer Breakfast, which is usually attended by both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition as well as several Members of Parliament.¹⁴ This public affirmation of Christianity is institutional and occurs at all levels of government. For example it is the usual practice at many government departments and agencies to open important meetings and other proceedings with prayer. No other religion enjoys these privileges in Jamaica.

Finally, the security forces of the State, which includes the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Jamaica Defence Force, maintain chaplains.

Education and children’s rights

Section 17 of the Constitution guarantees the right of each religious body or group to provide religious instruction to persons of the same belief, while also guaranteeing the student’s right not to be “required to receive religious instruction, or to take part in or attend any religious ceremony or observance, which relates to a religion or religious body or denomination other than his own.”

Church involvement in public education extends beyond worship to school governance, since a substantial number of public schools are owned or administered by religious bodies that receive government funding. Those arrangements do not remove the schools from state oversight, which remains with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information. According to the US State Department, religious education is mandatory, non-denominational, and focuses on the historical role of religion in society. It also recommends group visitations to places of worship.¹⁵

However, a review of publicly available documents relating to the curriculum in primary schools suggests that religion is perceived and taught as fundamental to the shaping of identity and guiding one’s understanding of the meaning and purpose of life. It is incorporated as a lens through which all subjects are taught, in a holistic approach to primary education. As such, emphasis is “placed on building future citizens with a focus on morals, values, principles, attitudes, integrity, heritage & culture through the curriculum standards and in the teaching of Religious Education, Civics and Social Studies.”¹⁶

While religious education content typically appears to be open to exploring the variety of religious groups’ beliefs in Jamaica, no attention appears to be paid to the non-religious. As part of the curriculum, students may be asked to compose messages to religious groups “expressing appreciation for the work they do” or to “create a short prayer to the Creator.” Furthermore, while learning how to take care of their physical health, guidance suggests that teachers should draw upon the Bible for stories about healthy eating and discuss how doing so “can help us give service to others and worship God.”¹⁷

While many of Jamaica’s publicly funded religious schools are affiliated with Catholic or Protestant churches, they must still follow ministry requirements and accept students from any religious background. Catholic and Protestant bodies oversee most of these schools, while four are run by the Islamic Council of Jamaica. Their status as religious institutions does not subject them to any special restrictions.¹⁸

Rastafarian students have faced discrimination in schools, including exclusion based on their hairstyles, particularly dreadlocks. In 2023, the government sought to prevent this discrimination by publishing a draft Student Dress and Grooming Policy,¹⁹ which is still in the process of consultation. According to the policy, individual schools’ Dress and Grooming Policy guidelines must not promote,

“…discrimination against natural hairstyles and it must expressly prohibit, regardless of gender or ethnicity, to include discrimination against African-centred, and other culturally specific hairstyles and headwear (e.g., afros, plaits, twists, locks, braids, cane row/cornrows, Bantu/Nubian knots, pony tails, hijabs, fades (school’s specifications for dimension contemplated) and any other hairstyle or headwear which is identified with a person’s ethnicity or cultural identity).”

Jamaicans for Justice point out the gap between policy and practice and recommend that there be stronger enforcement of such anti-discrimination policies to prevent exclusions based on hairstyles and to protect children’s right to education and freedom of expression.²⁰

Family, community and society

Jamaica’s 2011 Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms²¹ does not include a comprehensive definition of discrimination and human rights groups have called for the Charter to be amended to protect against all forms of discrimination. It has also been recommended that an anti-discrimination Act and national human rights institution be established.²²

Women’s Rights

Violence and discrimination against women in Jamaica is reported to be widespread. In 2023, the Sexual Harassment (Protection and Prevention) Act²³ came into force. However, existing legal protections for women have been poorly enforced to date.²⁴

Abortion

Abortion remains a crime in Jamaica under the Offences Against the Person Act.²⁵ It is punishable by life imprisonment, with or without hard labor. Anyone giving advice about abortion or assisting in the procedure can also face up to three years in prison. The law is rarely enforced, according to Jamaican pro-choice activists, but the threat of arrest can lead to greater risks for those seeking to end their unwanted pregnancies. Doctors have been arrested sporadically and sent to jail for providing abortions.²⁶

Pro-abortion activists have reportedly been galvanized by the decriminalization of abortion in Argentina in December 2020, leading to increased debate on the issue.²⁷ Some activists are reported to have carried signs reading “no religion in my womb.”²⁸ However, religious leaders remain firmly opposed to abortion²⁹ and despite attempts to change the law in parliament the government has said it has no intention of changing the legislation.³⁰

Marriage

Under the Constitution, “No form of marriage or other relationship referred to in subsection (1), other than the voluntary union of one man and one woman may be contracted or legally recognized in Jamaica” (Section 18). As such, same-sex marriages are not recognized.

Marriage is governed according to the Marriage (Amendment) Act (1979).³¹ However, those who are Hindu or Muslim are subject to the respective Marriage Act specific to their belief group.³²

The minimum age for marriage depends on the law applied. Under the Hindu and Muslim marriage acts, the legal age of both boys and girls is 16. The Marriage (Amendment) Act stipulates that the minimum age for marriage is 18, unless the consent of the father is obtained if the child is aged 16 years or over.

Currently Jamaica does not recognize rape within marriage, unless the spouses are separated, although there have been moves to widen the definition to protect women within marriage. Religious groups have been at the forefront of protests against any change to the law.³³ In 2020, the Senate approved a report from a joint select committee that deliberated on the Sexual Offences Act³⁴ and related statutes, paving the way for legal reform.³⁵ In spite of this, at the time of writing, the law remains unchanged.

LGBTI+ rights

Jamaica still outlaws sex between men, punishable by up to 10 years hard labour through the colonial-era Offences Against the Person Act.³⁶ Although the law has not been enforced in recent years, its existence is used to justify discrimination and violence against LGBTI+ people.³⁷

Some analysts consider Jamaica to be one of the most homophobic countries in the world. Hundreds of reggae and dancehall songs promote homophobia and the country is notorious for violence and murder against LGBTI+ people.³⁸ Church groups, including representatives from the largest denomination “the Church of God”, have organized rallies against attempts to decriminalize homosexuality.³⁹

In February 2021, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) called on Jamaica to repeal all laws prohibiting consensual same-sex conduct. The IACHR argued that Jamaica’s laws violate rights to privacy and equal protection under the convention, finding that discriminatory legislation contributes to violence by members of the public. Despite the IACHR’s decision, the government has not implemented any of its recommendations.

In 2023, the Supreme Court dismissed a challenge to the Offences Against the Person Act by referring to a ‘savings law clause’ in the Jamaican Constitution. This clause prohibits courts from reviewing those parts of the law that criminalize same-sex sexual activity.⁴⁰

The non-religious

Although there is no evidence of serious discrimination or persecution of the non-religious in Jamaica, a non-religious standpoint is generally scorned and rarely debated in public fora. However, in an opinion piece in The Gleaner, obstetrician Michael Abrahams writes:

“We live in a society that is infused with religion, specifically Christianity, but much of the populace does not understand other religious beliefs. As for religious skeptics, and critics of Christianity, we are dismissed by much of the faithful. Atheists are probably the most reviled, and harshly judged, and for no valid reason. They are also tremendously misunderstood. Many people do not comprehend what atheism really is, and draw their own misinformed conclusions.”⁴¹

Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values

Freedom of expression is guaranteed under the Constitution and generally upheld in practice. The media landscape is vibrant and freedom of assembly is largely respected. However, high crime rates and the influence of violent criminal gangs can prove an obstacle to fully exercising these rights.⁴²

Civil society groups have criticized the government for an over-reliance on States of Public Emergency for combatting crime in breach of the Constitution and international human rights conventions. They have called on the government to limit this measure to genuine emergencies and focus on social interventions rather than militarized tactics as a means of reducing crime.⁴³

In 2013, the Jamaican Parliament approved a bill fully abolishing the offence of criminal defamation, and with it blasphemous libel. The 2013 Defamation Act⁴⁴ replaces both the 19th-century Libel and Slander Act and the 1963 Defamation Act.

1. “Jamaica Population”, Worldometer, accessed 19 December 2025 https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/jamaica-population/ [↩]
2. “Jamaica country profile”, BBC, accessed 19 December 2025 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-18784061 [↩]
3. “Jamaica”, Britannica, accessed 19 December 2025 https://www.britannica.com/place/Jamaica [↩]
4. “Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2020”, Pew Research Center, accessed 19 December 2025 https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/feature/religious-composition-by-country-2010-2020/;
   “Jamaica” chapter in 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom (U.S. Department of State, 2024) https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/jamaica/ [↩]
5. Zahra Burton & Catarina Demony, “Jamaican government urged to ‘fully decolonise’ with bill to ditch King Charles”, Reuters, 1 March 2025 https://www.reuters.com/world/jamaican-government-urged-fully-decolonise-with-bill-ditch-king-charles-2025-03-01/ [↩]
6. Constitution of Jamaica, 1962 https://laws.moj.gov.jm/library/statute/the-jamaica-constitution-order-in-council-1962 [↩]
7. The Oaths Act, last amended 1 January 2002 https://laws.moj.gov.jm/library/statute/the-oaths-act [↩]
8. The Obeah Act, 2 June 1898 https://laws.moj.gov.jm/library/statute/the-obeah-act [↩]
9. “Jamaican church leaders push back against efforts to legalize spiritual practice of ‘obeah’”, Christian Daily International, 26 September 2025 https://www.christiandaily.com/news/jamaican-church-leaders-push-back-against-efforts-to-legalize-spiritual-practice-of-obeah [↩]
10. Compilation of information prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, A/HRC/WG.6/50/JAM/2, Human Rights Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review
    Fiftieth session, 3–14 November 2025 https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/WG.6/50/JAM/2[↩]
11. “Jamaica” chapter in 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom (U.S. Department of State, 2024) https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/jamaica/ [↩]
12. “The Laws of Jamaica, 1884-85”, FIU Law, https://ecollections.law.fiu.edu/jamaica/45/ [↩]
13. The Church of Haile Selassie I (Incorporation and Vesting) Act, 2013 https://japarliament.gov.jm/attachments/341_The%20Church%20of%20Haile%20Selassie%20I%20(Incorporation%20and%20Vesting)%20Act,%202013.pdf [↩]
14. “The National Leadership Prayer Breakfast”, accessed 19 February 2026 https://nlpbja.org/ [↩]
15. “Jamaica” chapter in 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom (U.S. Department of State, 2024) https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/jamaica/ [↩]
16. Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, National Standards Curriculum: Grade 1, (2018) https://pep.moey.gov.jm/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/MOE-NSC-GRADE-1-Int.-Studies-Language-Math-Revised-Nov-2019.pdf [↩]
17. Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, National Standards Curriculum: Grade 1, (2018) https://pep.moey.gov.jm/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/MOE-NSC-GRADE-1-Int.-Studies-Language-Math-Revised-Nov-2019.pdf [↩]
18. “Business Directory – Schools”, Jamaica Foundation for Islamic Charity, accessed 16 January 2026 https://jficharity.org/business-directory-schools/ [↩]
19. Ministry of Education and Youth, Student Dress and Grooming Policy, (2023) https://moey.gov.jm/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/draft_student_dress_gromming_august_24_2023.pdf [↩]
20. Summary of stakeholders’ submissions on Jamaica, A/HRC/WG.6/50/JAM/3, 12 August 2025, Human Rights Council, Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, Fiftieth session, 3-14 November 2025 https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/WG.6/50/JAM/3 [↩]
21. The Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms (Constitutional Amendment) Act, 2011 https://laws.moj.gov.jm/library/act-of-parliament/12-2011-the-charter-of-fundamental-rights-and-freedoms-constitutional-amendment-act [↩]
22. Summary of stakeholders’ submissions on Jamaica, A/HRC/WG.6/50/JAM/3, 12 August 2025, Human Rights Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review Fiftieth session, 3–14 November 2025
    https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/WG.6/50/JAM/3 [↩]
23. The Sexual Harassment (Protection and Prevention) Act, 2021 https://laws.moj.gov.jm/legislation/aop/f/18%20of%202021-%20The%20Sexual%20Harrasment%20(Protection%20and%20Prevention)%20Act.pdf [↩]
24. Compilation of information prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, A/HRC/WG.6/50/JAM/2, Human Rights Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review
    Fiftieth session, 3–14 November 2025 https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/WG.6/50/JAM/2;
    “Jamaica” chapter in Freedom in the World 2024 (Freedom House, 2024) https://freedomhouse.org/country/jamaica/freedom-world/2024 [↩]
25. The Offences Against the Person Act, last amended April 2014 https://laws.moj.gov.jm/library/statute/the-offences-against-the-person-act [↩]
26. “Doctor charged with illegal abortion bail extended”, Jamaica Observer, 22 September 2015 https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2015/09/22/doctor-charged-with-illegal-abortion-bail-extended/ [↩]
27. “Jamaicans share ‘deepest secrets’ in fresh push to allow abortion”, Reuters, 18 February 2021 https://www.reuters.com/world/jamaicans-share-deepest-secrets-fresh-push-allow-abortion-2021-02-18/ [↩]
28. Lillian Perlmutter, “Jamaica Could Finally Decriminalize Abortion”, Vice, 13 April 2021 https://www.vice.com/en/article/jamaica-could-finally-decriminalize-abortion/ [↩]
29. Kate Chappell, “Jamaicans share ‘deepest secrets’ in fresh push to allow abortion”, Thomson Reuters Foundation, 18 February 2021 https://news.trust.org/item/20210218085820-xm2lx/ [↩]
30. Tamoy Ashman, “Blood Money”, Jamaica Observer, 12 March 2024 https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2024/03/12/blood-moneyanti-abortionists-say-industry-affecting-jamaicas-birth-rate/ [↩]
31. The Marriage Act https://laws.moj.gov.jm/library/subsidiary-legislation/the-marriage-act [↩]
32. The Hindu Marriage Act, 1957 https://laws.moj.gov.jm/library/statute/the-hindu-marriage-act; The Muslim Marriage Act, 1957 http://jafbase.fr/DocAmeriques/Jamaique/Muslin%20Marriage%20Act.pdf [↩]
33. Julia Glum, “Rape in Marriage: Jamaica’s Churches and Human Rights Groups Are at War Over Legal Exemption”, Newsweek, 27 June 2017 https://www.newsweek.com/jamaica-sexual-offenses-act-marital-rape-629354 [↩]
34. The Sexual Offences Act, 2009 https://japarliament.gov.jm/attachments/341_The%20Sexual%20Offences%20Act,%202009.pdf [↩]
35. Romario Scott, “Marital rape law looms – Senate approves report of Sexual Offences Act and related statutes”, The Gleaner, 11 July 2020 https://past.jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20200711/marital-rape-law-looms-senate-approves-report-sexual-offences-act-and [↩]
36. The Offences Against the Person Act, last amended April 2014 https://laws.moj.gov.jm/library/statute/the-offences-against-the-person-act [↩]
37. “Jamaica”, Human Dignity Trust, last updated July 2025 https://www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/jamaica/#:~:text=Jamaica%20criminalises%20same%2Dsex%20sexual,subjected%20to%20discrimination%20and%20violence. [↩]
38. Jaevion Nelson, “Opportunity in Crisis: (re)Presenting Jamaica—“the Most Homophobic Place on Earth””, Academia, 16 July 2015 https://www.academia.edu/15129800/Opportunity_in_Crisis_re_Presenting_Jamaica_the_Most_Homophobic_Place_on_Earth_ [↩]
39. David McFadden, “Church leaders in Jamaica hold revival meeting opposing efforts to overturn anti-sodomy law”, Global News, 23 June 2013 https://globalnews.ca/news/666481/church-leaders-in-jamaica-hold-revival-meeting-opposing-efforts-to-overturn-anti-sodomy-law/ [↩]
40. “From Rulings to Reality: Jamaica Must Repeal Homophobic Laws”, Human Dignity Trust, 13 February 2024 https://www.humandignitytrust.org/resources/from-rulings-to-reality/ [↩]
41. Michael Abrahams, “Understanding Atheism”, The Gleaner, 22 October 2017 http://past.jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20171023/michael-abrahams-understanding-atheism [↩]
42. “Jamaica” chapter in Freedom in the World 2024 (Freedom House, 2024) https://freedomhouse.org/country/jamaica/freedom-world/2024 [↩]
43. Summary of stakeholders’ submissions on Jamaica, A/HRC/WG.6/50/JAM/3, Human Rights Council
    Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, Fiftieth session, 3–14 November 2025 https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/WG.6/50/JAM/3 [↩]
44. The Defamation Act, November 2013 https://www.japarliament.gov.jm/attachments/341_The%20Defamation%20Act,%202013.pdf [↩]