Opposition spokesperson on education, Damion Crawford, is advocating for an increase in the age of consent in Jamaica from 16 to 18 years. Crawford's proposal aims to address the persistently high rate of teenage pregnancies in the country. He highlighted this issue during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives. Crawford stated that approximately 6,000 schoolgirls become pregnant each year, leading to school dropouts. He emphasized the severity of teenage pregnancy in Jamaica and called for a reconsideration of the age of consent, suggesting that the Parliament should consider raising it to 18 to align with the shift from a five-year to a seven-year secondary school experience.