Defence attorney Peter Champagnie, KC is calling for greater public awareness in relation to sexual offences.
Mr Champagnie made that call on Tuesday during the opening of the Hilary Term of the Home Circuit Court.
Data prepared by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions showed that 363 sexual offence cases are listed for the Hilary Term, including 25 new cases.
The other matters were transferred from the previous Michaelmas Term which ended in December.
According to the data, rape accounted for 164 of the listed cases while 156 were in relation to having sexual intercourse with a person under 16.
Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Claudette Thompson, while calling for greater focus on sexual offence cases, stressed that in many of those matters the complainants are children.
Mr. Champagnie, who was speaking on behalf of the Jamaican Bar Association, stressed that the high number of recurring sexual offence cases is a serious concern, which is also reflected in various courts across the island.
He said policing, prosecution and trials have their place but he believes there needs to be more public awareness to encourage people to report cases and suspected cases of abuse.
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